Follow Us on Google
From Priscilla Ediare, Ado Ekiti
The Ekiti State Government has pledged its commitment to always reward diligent workers in its employ for them to always give their best in the service of the state and implementation of policies that will better the standard of living of the people.
Deputy Governor Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, who gave the assurance on Monday at the New Year Praises and Thanksgiving held in his office, identified workers as crucial to the successful implementation of government policies and programmes.
Otunba Egbeyemi who spoke through the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Deputy Governor, Mr Sola Ogunmiluyi, said the government would ensure more capacity building for workers within the available resources for better service delivery.
A statement by the Special Assistant (Media) to the Deputy Governor, Odunayo Ogunmola, disclosed that five staff members of the office received commendation letters and cash prizes for excellent performance in 2021.
The staff members of the Office of the Deputy Governor who were honoured include Mr Segun Omotunde, Mr Toyin Aribamikan, Mr Oluyeye Adewumi, Mr Oluwole Oni and Mr Bamidele Lawal.
A motivational speaker, Dr Gbenga Emiloju, who was the guest speaker at the event stressed the importance of capacity building to self-development which he said would be of help to workers after they might have retired from service.
The deputy governor explained that the five outstanding officers were found worthy in diligence, competence, integrity, punctuality, adherence to civil service rules, good dress sense, working extra hours, among other criteria.
Otunba Egbeyemi charged the workers to be ready to give their best in 2022 to contribute their quota to the Fayemi Administration’s resolve to make Ekiti an enviable state in the comity of states in Nigeria.
The deputy governor, however, cautioned civil servants against involvement in partisan politics and leaking official secrets to unauthorised persons urging them to remain focused in their official duties to aid the smooth running of governance.
He said: “Today’s event was packaged to appreciate God for what he did for us last year, for sparing our lives to see this year and to reward some civil servants in this office who performed excellently in the year that just ended.
“This government has invested very well in building the capacity of workers and giving priority to their welfare. The reward being given to some workers in this office is a gesture to encourage them to work harder.
“Remain focused, patriotic and committed to your duties most especially in this transition year. Avoid partisan politics and leakage of official secrets because the civil service rules will be invoked against anyone caught.”
Speaking earlier, the guest speaker, Dr Emiloju, who is also the State Secretary of Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), urged workers to have a positive vision for their future and learn additional skills and trades to supplement their income.
He also charged them to spend part of their resources on learning, purchase and reading books that would develop their intellectual acumen and setting achievable goals with time limits.
Dr Emiloju who had lost his both parents at age 15 said he did not allow the setback to blur his vision for greatness in life noting that he joined the civil service as a steward on Grade Level 2 in 2002 but further education had made him rise in the service.
Delivering a talk entitled: “Capacity Building: An Effective Strategy for Personal Effectiveness and Career Success,” Dr Emiloju said the reason why we have few people at the top is that “not everyone is ready to sacrifice for the attainment of their dreams.”
He said: “As much as it is not easy to achieve career success in today’s unpredictable, changing and fast-paced world, you can be determined to have career success through deliberate intention, sacrifices and commitment to personal effectiveness.
“The amount of capacity you build for yourself as an individual or an organisation would go a long way to determine the level of competitive advantage you will enjoy whenever opportunities emerge.
“The future you do not prepare for would embarrass you when you get there. For an individual to achieve personal, career or leadership success, it is important for such an individual to build relevant capacity to facilitate the desired expectation.”
Prayers were held for peace, progress and development of Ekiti State, protection and good health for Governor Kayode Fayemi, Otunba Egbeyemi, political leaders and civil servants.
