Gov Buni tasks Permanent Secretaries on service delivery, accountability

Gov Buni tasks Permanent Secretaries on service delivery, accountability

By Njadvara Musa, Damaturu

Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni has tasked the Permanent Secretaries with an effective and efficient public service delivery and accountability to the people in the state.

He said an improved service delivery can justify the government’s investment in their welfare and professional public service delivery.

Buni gave the task on Thursday in Damaturu, when representatives of the permanent secretaries visited him to express their appreciation for the recent upward review of salaries in the civil service.

The governor congratulated more than 400 graduates sponsored by the state government to study health-related and engineering courses at universities in India under the Buni Scholars programme

The Director-General of Press and Media Affairs to the Governor, Mamman Mohammed, in a statement disclosed: “The state government had invested substantially in training civil servants to fill vacancies created by the retirement of experienced personnel, ensure continuity and improve service delivery.”

Addressing the permanent secretaries, Buni urged them to demonstrate their leadership and serve as positive examples to younger civil servants working under them.

“You are the role models of the younger civil servants working under you, you should therefore lead by example. The government reviewed your salaries to improve your welfare and the growing responsibilities that accompanied your offices,” he said.

The governor stressed that the improved remuneration should translate into greater commitment to public service and better outcomes for the people of the state.

“It is said to whom much is given, much is equally expected; you should therefore justify this gesture by putting in your best to serve our people better,” Buni added.

The Head of Service (HoS), Abdullahi Musa, said the permanent secretaries considered it necessary to visit the governor to express their appreciation for the salary review.

Musa explained that the more than 20 permanent secretaries in the state had remained on the same salary structure since 2006, lamen ting that previous efforts to secure a review had been unsuccessful until the current administration.

“Since 2006, Permanent Secretaries in the state had been on a static salary Structure and all efforts to get it reviewed had not been fruitful until now under your administration,” he said.

He commended Buni for approving the adjustment, describing the decision as a significant development for senior civil servants in the state.

“Your Excellency, you have made Yobe Permanent Secretaries as role models of other state permanent secretaries, thank you sir,” Musa said.

He assured the governor that the permanent secretaries would reciprocate the gesture through improved commitment to their responsibilities.

He said they would justify the salary review “to the fullest of their ability” for the benefit of the state and its residents.

In a related development, more than 400 graduates sponsored by the Yobe State Government to study at universities in India visited Buni following the completion of their studies in various health-related and engineering disciplines.

The graduates, known as Buni Scholars, expressed appreciation to the governor for providing them with educational opportunities and supporting their professional development.

Speaking on behalf of the graduates, Fatima Kolo said the sponsorship had given them an opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills that would benefit both their personal development and the state.

She pledged that the graduates would uphold the values of the programme and contribute to Yobe’s development.

“Thank you, Your Excellency, our Governor for giving us this opportunity at the very beginning of our lives, we assure you of upholding this legacy and giving back to the state,” Kolo said.

Responding, Buni congratulated the graduates on completing their studies and commended them for representing the state positively.