Amidst an alleged threat by Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, to retire civil servants on level 15 and above if re-elected, the gubernatorial candidate of the state’s Peoples Democratic Party, Alh Shuaibu Abdullahi Yaman, has promised to ensure that the statutory tenure of civil servants in the state and local government services is guaranteed and protected to optimise their potentials and loyalty to the service.
The Special Adviser, Media and Strategy to the PDP Gubernatorial Candidate in Kwara State, re-emphasized this in a press statement signed by himself and made available to Daily Links.
The statement recalled that despite the pledge of Governor AbdulRahman not to sack or victimise any civil servant, he not only sacked twelve permanent secretaries in 2020 and replaced them without considering seniority in the service, but has refused to pay their entitlements to date.
The statement added that “at the local government level, the governor appointed levels 14 and 08 officers as directors of personnel management and treasurers above their seniors which resulted in the untimely exit of experienced hands from the service due to unbearable frustration.
“Alh Shuaibu Yaman promised that, if elected as the next governor of the state, he will not only ensure that no civil servant is sacked or untimely retired but embarked on aggressive training and retraining of the civil servants to meet up with the current challenges of effective service delivery”, the statement added.
According to the gubernatorial hopeful, within the first 30 days in office, his administration shall not only pay the entitlements of the permanent secretaries and other civil servants that were untimely retired by Gov AbdulRahman but put machinery in place to pay outstanding arrears of salaries and benefits of workers.
Alh. Yaman also promised to re-absorb the sunset teachers and restore their lost service years with their full benefits to be at par with their colleagues.
“The civil servants will be allowed to play their statutory role as policy drivers. Our government shall conduct the local government election within the time stipulated by law.
“Our administration’s concern for civil servants shall extend to the pensioners. Concerted efforts shall be made not only to pay their pensions but also to bring them to par with the existing minimum wage. Everything shall be done to pay arrears of their gratuity within the shortest time possible, while we shall invest in and evolve a pre-retirement training program to ensure they live a meaningful life after their meritorious service to the state.
“To achieve these, we shall be truthful and plain in our dealings with the civil servants. We shall not deceive them. We shall not promise them what we can not achieve.
“A vote for me is a vote for a secured future of our state”, Yaman said.
