The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has approved the recruitment of 500 professionals into the state’s civil service.
The recruitment followed the report of the Edo State Civil Service Commission that nine percent of the state’s workforce will attain the age of 60 or 35 years in service within the next five years, while three per cent of the total workforce is currently at the directorate cadre.
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Speaking shortly after receiving the 2019 Civil Service Commission Report in his office in Benin City on Thursday, reaffirmed his commitment to reposition the civil service for optimal performance, while ensuring the welfare of workers in the state.
“I promised during my inauguration that one of the major assignments I was going to embark on was a total transformation of state’s civil and public service.
“Within the next twelve months, we are going to undertake a comprehensive restructuring of the civil service. We will no longer promote on the basis of just having been there.”
“The fact of being in the civil service for a long time does not automatically qualify you for a promotion; your promotion has to be based on merit and performance,” he added.
On her part, Chairman of the Commission, Princess Ekiuwa Inneh, disclosed that a total of 289 civil servants retired from service in 2019, adding the state’s workforce stood at 3,044 workers.
“Nine per cent of the workforce will attain the age of 60 or 35 years of service within the next five years, while three per cent of the total workforce is at the directorate cadre.
“The governor has, therefore, approved for the commission to recruit over five hundred professional staff into the state civil service.
“In 2018, he also gave approval and we recruited well over four hundred personnel into the state civil service.
“And right now, he has given approval to bring in over five hundred qualified personnel into the state civil service.”