From John Bassey, Gusau
His Excellency, the Governor of Zamfara state Dr Dauda Lawal has said his administration is committed to motivating civil servants amidst the menace of neglect and insurgency inherited from previous administrations
He made this commitment  at the unveiling of renovated block ‘C’ of the JB Yakubu State Secretariat Complex in Gusau.
Governor Dauda Lawal restated that his administration’s vision for public service reform goes beyond infrastructure.
“Our vision for public service reform goes beyond infrastructure. We believe that a motivated and professional civil service is the backbone of good governance. That is why, under our administration, we have settled the backlog of gratuity arrears inherited from previous administrations of over ₦13 billion. This has brought immense relief to our senior citizens who served this State with dedication and were left waiting for their entitlements”.
It could be recalled that, for over 13 years before the administration of Governor Lawal, retired civil servants in the state were denied access to pension and gratuity, many died with hope that the then administration would consider their plights.
Again, during the verification exercise at the inception of Governor Lawal’s administration, a good number of civil servants were mistakenly removed from payroll and Governor Lawal gave assurance that they would be reinstated soon.
In his words, he stressed that his administration has maintained a consistent record of timely monthly pension payments to prevent financial uncertainty for Zamfara retirees. He has also instructed the Head of service to facilitate the reinstatement of the staff mistakenly removed during verification.
“We also foster gratitude by introducing an end-of-year productivity bonus, known as “13th-month salary”. Civil servants have never received this since the state creation. This rewards hard work and motivates our workforce.”
“In our pursuit of merit-based leadership, we introduced for the first time in the history of Zamfara State a competency-based examination for directors aspiring to the position of Permanent Secretary. Through this process, we appointed twelve Permanent Secretaries based strictly on merit, thus laying the foundation for a more capable and competitive civil service.
Unveiling the renovated structures he said, these buildings, constructed over two decades ago, had significantly deteriorated due to years of neglect. Upon assuming office in 2023, we prioritized rehabilitating these critical structures as part of our broader effort to modernize public service infrastructure.
 “I recall that just last year, we gathered here to commission the renovated Block A. Today, we proudly hand over Block “C” for the people’s service. we will soon return to commission Block B, thus completing a comprehensive renewal of the Secretariat Complex” he assured.
“Beyond the physical transformation, we are witnessing an upgrade, fully furnished and dignified office complex that meets the standards of a modern civil service as well as a clear demonstration of our administration’s resolution to strengthen the institutional governance framework through meaningful investments in the civil service” he reiterated.