Celebrating The Civil Service

As the Civil Service in Rivers State
plans to observe the 2014 Civil Service
Week between July 13-14, 2014, the plight of civil servants across the country comes to the radar.  The question on the lips of industry watchers is what has changed since the commencement of the annual celebration that is expected to draw attention to the service.
Indeed, the Tangier Declaration put together by all African countries to commemorate African Day of Administration and Civil Service on every June 23 has become more of a sad reminder of the state of the civil service in Africa.
Nigeria started marking the declaration at the inception of the Fourth Republic in 1999. Unlike the previous years when the celebration runs for one week, the 2014 Civil Service Week is being celebrated across the country in low key, in deference to the mood of the nation; especially the state of insecurity in the northern part of the country.
The civil service week is aimed at appreciating members of the civil service for their invaluable services and contributions to the administration of the country. These they often render at the risk of their lives and under harsh conditions and poor welfare arrangements.
We are pleased to join other well meaning persons to salute the civil service across  Africa for their perseverance, understanding as well as sense of duty and commitment even in the face of protracted political misadventure and bad governance in some African countries.
The theme for this year’s Civil Service Day: “… Values and Principles in Administration: Tools for Good Governance,” is particularly apt as it is critical to the sustenance of a viable and focused civil service. It is expected that civil servants will use the period to focus on the promotion and sustenance of good governance in the country.
While we appreciate some recent reforms, especially under the present administration, such as the N18,000 Minimum Wage for workers and the new pension scheme, we want to state that the civil service is still far from the ideal. As key players in the governance of the land, civil servants deserve better treatment in terms of, remunerations, and benefits.
It is only natural that as the civil service opts to do a low-key celebration this year, as a mark of respect for the mood of the nation, the nation should also be concerned about the mood of the civil service. It is indeed sad that successive governments fail to see the plight of the service even when its failings tend to rubbish governance.
The Tide is touched by insinuations that many States are yet to implement the N18,000 Minimum Wage years after it was signed into law. Such act does not only constitute an infringement on workers’ right but tends to promote inefficiency and corruption in the service.
Meanwhile, incentives like car and housing loans that used to constitute part of the welfare packages for civil servants are no longer there. It is high time the country returned to the situation that made the civil service a place of pride.
In Rivers State, it will not be out of place for the State Government to move Directors to Grade Level 17 to enable the civil servants in the State come to par with their counterparts in other States of the federation.
We must also note that as the engine of government the civil service needs to be circumspect in their dealings with politicians. A situation where some civil servants have become willing tools in the hands of politicians, with some even serving as conduit for corrupt practices is sad, retrogressive, unacceptable and against good conscience.
While we felicitate with the Nigerian civil servants, especially those in Rivers State, they must recommit to the service of the nation, no matter the current state of affairs.  The fact is clear, that very soon even the service in Nigeria will achieve global best practice.