Daily Independent Online.
*
Wednesday, June 30, 2004.
Enugu workers hail removal of politicians from ministries
By Chukwudi Achife,
Bureau
Chief,
Enugu
Civil servants in
Enugu State have expressed delight that the state government has commenced the
disengagement of politicians from the civil service.
Governor Chimaroke
Nnamani said last week while swearing in the new Head of Service, Mr Clement
Okwor, that the disengagement of politicians was to restore sanity to the
service.
Workers who spoke
to Daily Independent on the issue said the infusion of politicians into the
service had not only thrown it into confusion and instability but had destroyed
its long established traditions and procedures of non-partisanship.
They said
politicians often conducted their affairs in the service without regard to
entrenched rules, principles and laws thus disrupting the normal flow of work
and causing uncertainty and instability to reign.
The workers noted
that the activities of politicians had caused a severe deep in the morale and
work ethics of civil servants especially because politicians freely applied
negative values like nepotism, ethnicism and loyalty to political parties to
determine posting, promotions and general welfare of workers.
This, the workers
noted, had led to "dormancy and lethargy" that had plagued most state
ministries since the return to civil rule in 1999, adding that the damage
inflicted would take time to repair.
They said the
removal of the politicians would salvage the civil service and they commended
the state government for taking the initiative.
The workers lauded
the Department for International Development of the British government that is
collaborating with the state government on various areas of development, which,
according to them, had mounted pressure on the government to withdraw its political
appointees.
"If the government keeps to its word on this issue,
then the Enugu State civil service, which is frankly comatose at this moment,
will no doubt stand firmly on the path of rapid recovery", said a worker.
