Last week, Bayelsa State civil servants due retirement enjoyed, what can only be described as a rare intellectual feast. A 3-day pre-retirement workshop was organized by the State Government for Officers who are due retirement or retired recently. From all indications, it was a beautiful outing if comments from the participants is anything to go by as most attendees described the workshop as “very rich” in scope, content and presentation. Unfortunately that is where the good news stops.
The bad news is that the Bayelsa State Civil Service, under its present leadership, is notoriously irresponsible for record keeping. It is an open secret that records can be accessed by just anybody and changed at will, if you have a link to the top. A 50 year old Director can suddenly rejuvenate and become a 30 year old spinster at the drop of a hat if she makes the “right” moves. In that circumstance, it is generally well known that those retiring are civil servants who either have no connections, unwilling to spend money or worse still not in a position to pay in kind. It is disgraceful.
The foregoing explains why the Bayelsa State civil service parades a crop of Permanent Secretaries who were promoted 10 years ago, and still have another 5 years to serve as a Permanent Secretary before retirement. It is very embarrassing that when Permanent Secretaries meet at the national level, some of our Permanent Secretaries look like teenage girlfriends to Permanent Secretaries from other States. Nobody believes that any Permanent Secretary can be less than 55 years old no matter how and when you joined the Civil Service!
In the absence of credible records, let me give my unsolicited advice! The pre-retirement exercise should be an annual event for all categories of officers retiring that year. The following categories of Officers should be included in the list of retirees next year:
In the absence of credible records, let me give my unsolicited advice! The pre-retirement exercise should be an annual event for all categories of officers retiring that year. The following categories of Officers should be included in the list of retirees next year:
1. All Permanent Secretaries who have served a minimum of 5 years on that post. Reason: If you join the Civil Service with a 1st degree at age 25 as at Assistant Secretary; there is no way you will become a Permanent Secretary before you are 55. That is the way the service is structured. Anything short of that means you short-changed the system at some point and it is pay back time now. Retire!
2. As part of the on-going Biometrics exercise, all Civil Servants must produce their First School Leaving Certificates. Reason: You can pay anything to change any of your records but you cannot change your foundation certificate – the FSLC. Any Certificate that pre-dates 1960 means the owner should retire gracefully next year, the present records notwithstanding.
The present rate of unemployment is so alarming that unless drastic measures are taken people will not retire as and when due to enable youths coming behind join the Service as we did in our days. Enough of the goalpost shifting tactics!
Tata, everybody
Napoleon
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