By Agili Joshua

Barely two years into the second tenure of His Excellency, Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule, the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, the Nasarawa State Civil Service Commission, under the leadership of Musa Dangana Giza, has continued to implement the policy direction of His Excellency towards consolidating the giant strides achieved in civil service reforms during his first term in office.

This progress has been made possible due to the support the Commission received from His Excellency, enabling it to carry out its statutory functions of restructuring the state civil service in line with international best practices and standards.

Some of the directives the Commission received from His Excellency in the year under review and implemented include approval for the recruitment of eligible candidates, formalization of appointments for casual staff engaged in various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), and updates on promotions for deserving officers in the state civil service, among other functions.

As part of these directives, the Commission, upon receiving approval, proceeded with the recruitment and absorption of eligible candidates into critical areas of manpower needs in some MDAs. This included the recruitment and formalization of appointments for a significant number of qualified staff across affected MDAs.

For instance, in response to His Excellency’s directive, the Commission absorbed 44 contract staff engaged under the Nigeria Government COVID-19 Action Recovery Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) program. These staff were screened and their appointments regularized, after which they were posted to various MDAs in line with their areas of specialization. This move not only reduced the financial burden of the agency but also ensured job security for the staff as the NG-CARES program winds down.

Additionally, His Excellency approved the recruitment of 13 qualified lecturers in various health-related fields for the College of Nursing Science, Lafia, to improve service delivery in the health sector. The recruitment process involved rigorous screening and interviews conducted by experts to ensure only the most qualified candidates were selected.

The Commission also formalized the appointments of 18 casual staff from the Bureau for Public Procurement and absorbed other casual staff into the mainstream civil service across various MDAs, including the Ministry of Lands and Urban Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, the Disability Commission, and the Nasarawa Agriculture Development Programme (NADP).

To combat unemployment and reduce poverty among the youth, His Excellency directed the formalization of over 100 casual staff at the Wing Commander Abdullahi Ibrahim Vocational and Technology Institute, Lafia. This move ensured that the institution could meet accreditation requirements set by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) while equipping youths with vocational skills for self-reliance and entrepreneurship.

Similarly, 97 casual staff at the Nasarawa State Relevant Technology Board, Lafia, were absorbed into the civil service to provide vocational skills training to unemployed youths, further addressing unemployment and poverty. Casual staff at the Government House were also absorbed to end casualization across MDAs in the state.

In terms of promotions, the Commission processed and issued promotions for about 200 deserving officers across MDAs in the state civil service. Additionally, over 500 officers were retired in compliance with the Public Service Rule (PSR), either due to reaching 35 years of service or attaining the age of 60.

The Commission also began work on permanent and pensionable appointments (PPA) for newly recruited staff. By the end of the year, about 100 confirmation letters had been issued to officers across MDAs.

Indeed, 2024 has been a year of remarkable achievements for the Civil Service Commission, as it diligently implemented Governor Abdullahi A. Sule’s policy direction to reform the state civil service for effective and efficient service delivery.