HOS Sets Up Circular Codification Committee

A nine member committee has been set up to codify all relevant circulars in the Rivers State Civil Service.

Speaking at the inaugural meeting of the committee held on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, the Head of Service (HOS), Barrister Samuel LongJohn said the setting up of the committee was to enable all Public Servants and members of the public, including politicians, have access to extant circulars and rules guiding the operations of the Civil Service.

“The Civil Service is a circular and rules denominated system, everything we do is based on circulars and rules, it is proper that we should be able to have these circulars and rules readily available, everybody should know what his right are correspondingly what his duties are”, he stressed.

He noted that in order to ensure efficient and effective service delivery, it was essential that public servants who make requests on what the service has to offer should be conversant with what the rules say while the Officer handling the matter should also be guided by the provisions of the rules to ensure correct interpretation.

“Whatever we are doing, we should be able to ensure that what we are doing is properly guided”, he said.

Barrister LongJohn pointed out that the process would further create a platform for the domestication of the Federal Public Service Rules through an enabling law for a Rivers State Public Service Rules as is the case in Lagos State.

He therefore urged members of the committee to take the assignment seriously and deliver possibly before the next Civil Service Week Celebration.

Responding on behalf of members, the Chairman of the Committee, Mr. Lambert Ekwueme, who is also the Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare in the Office of the Head of Service, thanked the Head of Service for finding them worthy for the assignment and promised to do a thorough job and deliver on time.