The Rivers State Head of Service, Mrs. Esther Anucha says her office will soon come up with an ethics committees in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the state civil service.
Mrs Anucha who said this at one day workshop on Raising Integrity Standards in the public service organised by the Rivers State office of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) said that the committees will be charged with the responsibility of ensuring monthly assessment of ethical and unethical conducts by civil servants in the state.
The Head of Service who was represented by Chief Gogo Isong a permanent secretary in the office of the Head of Service stressed the need for civil servants in the state to raise their work ethics by delivering quality service that is based on integrity and transparency “thereby making the public service a veritable institution for the rapid socio-economic and infrastructural development of the state for the benefit of all.”
In his welcome address, the State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) Chief Andy Nweye said that the workshop was meant to equip and strengthen the capacities of public servants in applied ethics with a view to raising the morale in the public service.
Chief Nweye said that though there are already in existence traditional instruments for integrity management, the dynamic nature of the society calls for other method to augment and complement these statutes with a view to stimulating more integrity in public service.
He listed other objectives of the workshop to include sensitizing public officials on the need to imbibe and exhibit the culture if transparency, honesty, accountability and integrity in official conduct, to educate public officials on the dangers of corruption and abuse of office amongst others.