2023 Workers day: Niger Govt tasks workers on productivity

Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello has tasked workers to be more efficient and productive in the discharge of their duties for the progress and development of the state.

He said it is imperative that civil servants be effective and productive in the performance of their duties in their interest too.

In a statement to mark the 2023 Worker’s Day in Minna, Governor Sani Bello said although he is leaving office in a couple of days, he is still concerned with the huge wage bill of the state which has remained static as well as the lingering anomalies in the civil service over the years.

The Governor, nonetheless, tasks the Civil Servants to be sincere with themselves and support the state incoming government in addressing ugly trends that have continued to bring setbacks within the system.

Governor Sani Bello, yet, commended the state workforce for serving as catalyst in the formulation and implementation of government policies and programmes, as well as for sustaining good governance in the state.

He stated that his administration, since inception, had laid emphasis on capacity development through training and retraining of workers in its deliberate attempt to reposition the service for greater performance, effective and efficient service delivery.

The Governor outlined some of his administration’s modest effort on the civil servants to include; prompt payment of salaries and wages, implementation of new minimum wage and salary structure for health workers and federal Paramilitary salary structure for the state Fire Service, refund of 7.5% pension deduction as well as 15%salary augmentation for workers of the state Tertiary Institutions.

Governor Sani Bello also disclosed that the state government had employed 250 graduates into the state civil service, 400 health workers and that it has completed the employment of over 2,000 primary school teachers and is concluding the employment of more workers into the state civil service.

While felicitating with the workers on the occasion, Governor Sani Bello congratulated the new NLC leadership in the state led by Comrade Lafene Idris, assuring him of the state government’s partnership with the organised labour to systematically tackle most of the challenges of civil servants in the state.

The Governor also used the occasion to thank the organised labour for its support during the recent general elections which contributed immensely to the success of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).