The Delta State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to improving the welfare, working conditions and professional development of civil servants in the state.
Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Kingsley Emu, stated this on Tuesday while inspecting the newly completed Permanent Secretaries’ quarters in Asaba ahead of their inauguration by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori on Thursday.
Emu described civil servants as critical partners in governance and the implementation of government policies and programmes, stressing that the administration had introduced several measures aimed at improving their welfare.
According to him, workers in the state civil service have benefited from measures including a three-day working arrangement, payment of vehicle allowances, access to loans and extensive training and capacity-development opportunities.
“Today, civil servants are seen doing three working days round. That’s a lot of convenience. We have paid vehicle allowances and made provisions for loans for them. We send them on training,” he said.
The SSG, who noted that he personally approves training-related matters, said the state government had committed substantial resources to developing the capacity of its workforce.
He said Governor Oborevwori regarded civil servants as friends and indispensable partners in governance, adding that their welfare remained a priority of the administration.
“Civil servants are friends to the government. The government loves them. Our Permanent Secretaries are driving brand new vehicles,” Emu said.
He explained that the newly completed quarters formed part of the administration’s broader welfare interventions for civil servants, assuring workers that more initiatives aimed at improving their welfare would be introduced.
Emu also highlighted efforts by the government to accommodate retired and former civil servants, noting that some who had left the system had been reintegrated into government programmes.
He said the administration’s commitment to workers was driven by the important role they play in governance, describing the civil service as the implementing arm of the public service.
“Governor Oborevwori is not just for the people. He’s even so much so for the civil servants because he believes that they lay the golden eggs,” he said.
On the Permanent Secretaries’ quarters, Emu described the new structures as elegant and befitting the status of the state’s apex administrative officers.
He disclosed that the complex comprises 12 four-bedroom units, each fully air-conditioned and equipped with modern facilities.
“The entire PS complex are for civil servants. The Permanent Secretaries are the apex of the civil service. We have these new, elegant edifices. We have 12 of them, four bedrooms each, with all air-conditioned and then with all the facilities that you can think of.
“There’s going to be unlimited power here, 24-7. The roads are well paved and they are well secured,” he stated.
The SSG, however, clarified that the government’s housing interventions were not restricted to Permanent Secretaries.
He said the administration was also working on alternative housing arrangements for other categories of civil servants through partnerships with private developers and the Federal Mortgage Bank.
The Permanent Secretaries’ quarters are scheduled to be inaugurated by Governor Oborevwori in Asaba on Thursday.
