Business
IPAN Registrar Wants Better Salaries For Workers
The Registrar, Institute of Private Analysts of Nigeria (IPAN), Prof. David Oluleye, has urged the Federal Government to increase the remuneration of civil servants, to enable it to attract the best brains.
Oluleye said this in Lagos at the launch of a book titled: “Nigeria’s Top Servant-Bureaucrats: Salient Landmarks of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation 1961-2011.’’
He said that civil servants needed to be adequately remunerated to bring out the best in them.
“In those days, the best graduates were usually kept in the civil service, but now, we cannot keep the best in the system when we cannot give out the best.
“An average civil servant is very dedicated; it is just that they are exposed to so many distractions which are also in the private sector.
“The Civil Service is the backbone of the country’s development and the workers should, therefore, be properly remunerated.”
Reviewing the book, Oluleye said it contained all the full complements of a standard documentary.
He said that the 150-page book captured the various reviews which culminated in a strong, dynamic Federal Civil Service.
Oluleye said that the book contained records of 16 former heads of the civil service, who included Prof. Oladapo Afolabi, Mr Harlen Ejueyitchie, Mr Abdul Atta and Mr Charles Lawson.
“The civil service has remained unshakeable at the change of each government due to the dedication and commitment of all the past heads of service, as x-rayed by the author.
“The author is a very unassuming, principled and typical civil servant. The book is a reference point for service delivery, character moulding and career development strategies.’’
He recommended the book for the younger generation of civil servants, history students and the academia, urging them to explore it to get a vision, a mission and core principles of the federal civil service.
A retired Federal Permanent Secretary, Chief Ebunoluwa Omoyele, charged civil servants not to be materialistic, but to be dedicated to their duties.
He said that working for the Government was an opportunity to serve and not to enrich one’s pocket.
Omoyele also urged the Federal Government to improve on remuneration in the service.
Liaison Officer, Federal Ministry of Health, Lagos, Mr Ojo Idihaloise, who authored the book, said it was written out of curiosity, to develop a document on past Heads of the Civil Service.
Idihaloise said that civil servants should be alive to their duties as records were being taken on their performances, with a view to rating them.
He said that the society did not give honour to civil servants and urged the public to recognise their relevance economically, socially and politically.
“The Civil Service holds the key to the development of the country because they are the tools being used by the government to drive and implement policies,“ he added.