by Christiana Gokyo, Jos
The Plateau State Government says, it’s going to be very deliberate, very intentional, in trying to raise the standard of governance in every ministry, department, and agency in the state.
The State Governor, Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, disclosed this during the swearing-in law of five Permanent Secretaries at new Government House Little Reyfield, Jos, recently.
According to him, “We are going to provide leadership for this process of transformation. This leadership will require character, integrity, and knowledge.
“You must add value to the office you are posted to. You must add value to your own life. People will come to you, and you should be able to guide them,” he said.
Mutfwang recalled that, “Some years ago, when someone said, ‘your patience, your reward, your kindness – these are the best ways to be self-reliant.’ And that way, you’ll find value in yourself.
“The fanfare is not necessary when you are being posted – your product will speak for itself. I’m telling you this because of where I am and what I’ve seen.
“If you’re posted, it will be public. So, you must accept that this process is not about you alone. I’m sorry, if you feel otherwise. We are also going to do massive postings across the board,” he said.
Governor Mutfwang explained, saying, “I know that, over the years, you have seen recommendations, based on mediocrity, and many of them were inherited; the important thing is not to be proud of it.
“Therefore, we want to ensure that when you come into this service – and even when you travel to places like Boston – you don’t forget that our own civil service, or whatever institution it is, can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with its peers anywhere in this country,” he noted.
“We are very clear that those, who have less than three years to retire, are excluded, because we want to invest in the future. There is no need to trade your entire tomorrow; it doesn’t make sense. We want people, who want to come back and impact the system – not those, who are just passing through,” he stated.
The governor emphasized that, “This is the first time we conducted exams to the Permanent Secretaries. Those, who were sworn-in today, were those, who passed the exams,” he said, and charged those, who don’t make it, to be patient, saying, “their time will come.”