Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi has pledged to make civil servants in the state the cornerstone and fulcrum of his administration during his second term in office.
Bello will be inaugurated for a second term in office on Jan. 27.
The governor gave the assurance at a meeting with the Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the state on Wednesday at the Government House, Lokoja.
Bello assured the civil servants of smooth and very cordial relationship, saying he will interact more with them than his political appointees during his second term in the quest to ensure efficient and effective service delivery.
“I am opened to advice from all of you. The second term can’t be self serving. It is going to be more of service delivery to the people.
”That is why I am involving those that are hungry for service to get involved. Don’t be surprised to see your child to be your boss as long as he is hungry for service.
“This second tenure is going to be that of service delivery. It’s a tenure for those who are hungry for results.
“For us to get to the desired destination that we want, we have to start now. I urge you all to be transparent,” Bello said.
He charged the civil servants not to show political appointees the ways to circumvent the system, but to checkmate them at all time.
“Whoever I will appoint as your heads today or tomorrow should be told of what the law permits. Don’t teach them to circumvent the system.
“I am going to be dealing directly with the civil servants; It’s going to be a periodic interaction,” he promised.
He further enjoined them to verify every directive from him before they comply, saying ”Kogi belongs to all of us; we all have equal stakes in it.
”Nobody, no group, no tribe is better placed than other; we all have equal stake.”
The governor, therefore, directed that details of the accounts being operated by the MDAs with financial institutions and the signatories to the accounts should be submitted henceforth. (NAN)
