LABOUR UNION BLASTS DICKSON FOR POLLUTING CIVIL SERVICE

Igoniko Oduma reports:

Yenagoa – Labour unions in Bayelsa State have faulted the decision of Governor Seriake Dickson to extend the appointment of Mr. Peter Singabele, Head of Service (HoS), by six months with effect from June 16.

They also picked holes in the governor’s decision to extend with immediate effect the appointment of Permanent Secretary (Perm Second’s) and Head of Protocol Services, Government House, Mr. Joseph Akedesuo, “for a period of one year which would be on a contract basis for its entire duration”.

The extension of the appointments of Singabele and Akedesuo was announced in a statement on Monday through the office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Serena Dokubo-Spiff.

Dickson, according to the statement, “exercised his executive powers” in approving the extension of their appointments.

“The extension was informed by the numerous important ongoing service-related issues being ably handled by the Head of Service.

“His leaving the service now could be detrimental to the administration’s programme of repositioning the civil service for greater efficiency,” it explained.

But the labour unions including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) rejected the extension of the appointments of Singabele and Akedesuo.

In two separate statements signed by Mr. John Bipre Ndiomu  and Tari Dounana, chairmen of NLC and TUC, respectively, and Ebi Sikpi, ASCSN’s secretary, on Tuesday in Yenagoa ,the unions asked Dickson to appoint a new HOS to fill the  vacant position without delay.

They warned him not to politicize the office of the HOS, stressing that it had not been the norm for any HOS to stay in office beyond the retirement age of 60 or 35 years of service, whichever was applicable.

“The continuous stay of the current Head of Service, Dr. Peter Singabele beyond the retirement age of 60 or 35 years in service is a source of worry to workers in the state.

“The Public Service Rules 020810 is very clear about retirement of public servants. It states that ‘No officer shall be allowed to remain in service after attaining the retirement age of sixty or thirty five years of Pensionable Service whichever is earlier”‘, they stated.

They further contended that there were several other qualified and competent Permanent Secretaries in the service from which the government ought to select and appoint a new HOS to uphold the norms of the civil service.

The unions noted that the government has the prerogative to appoint Singabele and Akedesuo into political offices instead of polluting the civil service with unnecessary politics.

They urged  Dickson to without delay appoint the next most senior Permanent Secretary as HOS to replace Singabele.

They also urged Singabele and Akedesuo to step aside or refuse any form of tenure elongation in order not to truncate promotion in the civil service.

The labour unions also called on the Civil Service Commission to properly guide government on the appointment of the HOS as stipulated in the Public Service Rules in order to strengthen and motivate the workforce.

Source: Independent newspaper.