FG neglecting Bayelsa, Dickson cries out

Bayelsa State Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson, has expressed concern over the poor representation of the state in all cadres of the federal civil service, describing it as “unfair and inequitable”, a situation he wants the Federal Government to redress. The governor stated this during a courtesy call on him by the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, at the Government House in Yenagoa. According to him, available employment statistics reveal that Bayelsa ranks among few states that suffer under-representation in all cadres of the Federal Civil Service, lamenting that at present, Bayelsa State does not have any federal Permanent Secretary. Dickson therefore solicited Oyo-Ita’s support in the desire of the state to have a fair share in the distribution of employment and appointment slots. The governor said, “we will like you to give us listening ears as we make the case for a fair and equitable representation in all cadres of the public service of the federation. A case in point is the absence of a Permanent Secretary from Bayelsa State in the Federal Civil Service. “As you are more aware than I am, since the retirement of Ambassador Godknows Igali, our state is now one of the few states that do not have representation at that level. I don’t believe it is deliberate. But, I will like to call your attention to that, because you are also a member of the Federal Executive Council.” Dickson congratulated OyoIta on her appointment, and expressed the readiness of the state government to partner with her office in driving his administration’s policies on the welfare of public servants, par- ticularly in the areas of housing and training programmes. He said the government had already acquired large expanse of land in some strategic areas of the state capital, Yenagoa and would collaborate with reputable development partners to build affordable residential houses for civil servants. The governor also challenged the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to make necessary sacrifices in the face of the current economic hardship and expedite efforts towards the completion of the Federal Secretariat being constructed in the state capital. He said the completion of the Federal Secretariat would free the state government from the extra burden of providing office accommodation for almost all the federal agencies domiciled in the state. In her remarks, Oyo-Ita who was in Bayelsa State to attend the marriage of her son, lauded the level of infrastructural development and peaceful envi- ronment put in place by Dickson. She expressed determination of the federal government to effect a paradigm shift in documentation, and in the wel- fare of civil servants, especially in the areas of housing, train- ing, regular payment of salaries and allowances as well as postpension life. “I want to leave behind a deep and lasting change in the culture of the service and the people operating it. I’m looking at developing a character change and a civil service that will act in line with the ethics of the service; efficient, productive, incorruptible and citizen-centred”, she explained