Nasarawa Civil Service Under Threat from Politicians, Civil Servants Raise the Alarm

Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia

Civil servants in Nasarawa State, under the aegis of Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), yesterday raised the alarm that the civil service in the state was under threat from the political establishment.

The State Branch chairman of ASCSN, Mr. Haruna Ewa, raised the alarm in Lafia at a one-day seminar organised by the state chapter of the ASCSN for its members, adding that the trade unions must play a vital role to secure the civil service in the face of threatening circumstances.

Ewa said: “ASCSN has advocated for checking of obnoxious practices in the state such as extension of tenure of civil servants beyond the mandatory 35 years and the appointments of permanent secretaries and directors from outside the civil service and the usurpation of schedules of directors by political appointees.”

He maintained that the three scenarios where major hindrance to proper functioning and neutrality of the service because it led to stagnation of the civil servants who were eagerly waiting to rise to the peak of their careers.

He continued that the scenario also caused low productivity among the civil servants due to dampening of morale to perform optimally, as well as destroying of the engine room of the government.

However, Ewa specifically appreciated the effort and unalloyed support of Governor Abdullahi Sule and the Head of Service of the state for supporting the state ASCSN in its quest to build a befitting 500-seater conference hall in Lafia.

In a paper presented at the one-day seminar by Dr. Yairus Dagusa tittled “Preserving The Civil Service and The Imperative of Building Nasarawa State: The Role of Labour (Trade Unions),” Dagusa said the state civil service has the potential of developing its strategic position by establishing and adhering to standards of recruitment, promotion and discipline.