Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has restated that there are no plans to sack or retrench workers in the state, insisting that ongoing reforms in the state’s civil and public service are aimed at improving productivity and service delivery to Edo people.
Obaseki gave the assurance, while addressing participants at a stakeholders’ engagement of the Edo State Transition Committee with permanent secretaries, heads of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), heads of local government administration (HOLGA) and the judiciary at the Government House, Benin City.
He said though other states of the country were retrenching workers and reducing minimum wage due to dwindling economic fortunes, his administration would train, strengthen the public service and ensure that the workforce was equipped with the right tools and skills to compete globally.
“We will not retrench workers or sack anyone, but you must follow the new trends and conform to the new rules and if you can’t cope, you should move out from the service yourself. I will train you to get the desired output from you; we are going to generate more revenue to run our state.”
The governor cautioned the workers against cutting corners to favour themselves and urged them to be committed and stand upright to better the system.
On his part, Edo State Head of Service and Chairman, Transition Committee, Anthony Okungbowa said: “Obaseki is investing in creating e-governance platforms, reviewing rules of service and developing performance management strategy scorecards to rate workers’ performance.”
Okungbowa added that the Obaseki-led administration was training and retraining civil servants and ensuring that Edo people get the best out of the empowerment programmes.
MEANWHILE, Obaseki has mourned the General Overseer of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Temitope Balogun Joshua, who reportedly died at the weekend.
In a statement issued in Benin City, the governor said he was saddened by the pastor’s death, noting that the deceased impacted the lives of millions of people globally.
“Pastor Joshua deployed his gift of delivering the word of God in relatable terms to advance the Church of Christ and brought laughter, solace and comfort to many with Christ’s message of love and hope,” the statement reads.
Obaseki commiserated with the Christian community, the SCOAN, the deceased’s family and prayed God to grant them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
