The Rivers State Government has stated its resolve to redeploy civil servants in over-staffed ministries to under-staffed ones to ensure productivity.

Rivers State Governor, Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi who gave the hint at a one-day stakeholders workshop on assessment of key public institutions organised by UNDP in Port Harcourt, yesterday said the move has become necessary following the non-challant attitude of civil servants in the state.

The governor, who was  represented by his Deputy, Engr Tele Ikuru said government do not have plans to retrench any civil servant, but is determined to encourage efficiency.

“The only thing we want to do is to ensure that if for instance, only 2000 staff are needed in ministry of education, and the ministry has up to 3000 workers, what it means is that the remaining 1000 staff will be shifted to other ministries that are less than 2000 to enhance efficiency and productivity, he said.

He stated that government’s plan is geared towards ensuring that every civil servant is engaged in their place of work to ensure productivity.

He frowned at a situation where civil servants are seen roaming the secretariat without carrying out their official duties, but at the end of the month such category of persons will be the first to collect their salaries.

‘Nobody wants to sack any civil servant, but what the government need is productivity”, he stressed. Reassuring the state workforce, the governor said, ‘Civil service remains the engine room of the government , stressing that your fears are unnecessary.

Prof Olusegun Matanmi, lead Consultant at the workshop stated that no government is likely to sack civil servants when there is unemployment problem in the country.

He said unemployment rates from 1997 to 2007 in Niger Delta states have confirmed the seriousness of the problem in the respective states.

“Unemployment rates had generally hovered from single –digit to double digit rates in the entire region.

“Although Rivers State, with an employment rate of 12.1 per cent in 2007, from  and unusual high 66.4 per cent in 2006, is not an exception”, he said.

He noted that the policy essence of such data on unemployment is in its usuage for development planning and social empowerment, through heavy investments in human capital development and entrepreneurial training for catalytic change and upturn of the economic base of the state”, he said.

Earlier, the special Adviser to the governor on International Donor Agencies, Barrister Bestman Nnwoka said the meeting was convened to ensure sustainability of government projects by establishing a formidable network to monitor the activities of such projects.

Sogbeba Dokubo