Three prominent sons of Rivers State, including the current Commissioner for Education, Prof. Kaniye Ebeku and former Deputy Governor of the State, Sir Gabriel Toby have lauded the State Head of Service, Rufus Godwins for his book on discipline in the Nigerian Civil Service unveiled in Port Harcourt recently.
Prof. Ebeku who was the book reviewer says the 292 page work was properly written and well researched, ‘and must be regarded as an important addition to the literature of civil servants in Nigeria, saying, “in fact it stands out as the first book to be written by a Nigerian lawyer on the subject of discipline of civil servants in Nigeria.”
The commissioner said the work entitled ‘A Handbook on Discipline of Civil Servants in Nigeria’ basically elaborates the dos and don’ts in the civil service, the disciplinary procedures and associated matters, describing Godwins as a gentleman par excellence, an intellectual giant and a flamboyant lawyer, adding that the author was his classmate at the now Rivers State University (RSU) Law graduating class of 1985 and close friend, saying “He Godwins is affirmation of confidence, a man of excellence and impact.
On his part, former deputy governor of the state, Sir Gabriel Toby lauded the author for the well-researched work which he said was a compendium of the civil service rules, the constitution and judicial pronouncements.
Toby further said, “Discipline is the bedrock on which the civil service itself thrives, any community, any nation cannot stand without discipline. On the other hand of course indiscipline is a veritable drag of progress and development and it destroys vision and mission. Indiscipline is an obstruction to achievements.”, just as he recommended the book to all.
Chairman of the occasion and former President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Onueze Okocha congratulated Rufus Godwins for his work, describing the HOS as a ‘rising star who is still rising.’
Okocha who represented former Chief Judge of the State, Justice Iche Ndu further said, “It is my belief as many have believed that it (the book) will go a long way in helping the civil servants to understand their responsibilities and ensure that they discharge those responsibilities with honesty, dedication and integrity.
While endorsing the book, he said, “The book deals with discipline of the civil servants in Nigeria, particularly the ones in Rivers State. Many people take the rules of the Civil Service for granted. But on it as I know from my days as Attorney General defines all the items, all the rules and regulations which should be observed and performed strictly to the letter by those in the civil service.
“I came close to him (Rufus Godwin) first in 1990 when I have the pleasure to serve as the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Rivers State. Those days were military regimes. And he was one of the rising stars in the ministry, I entrusted a huge, serious responsibilities to him because I had seen in him the ability to discharge his duties with seriousness, with dedication, honesty and integrity.

By: Dennis Naku