Amgbare Ekaunkumo, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Government has clarified that henceforth only qualified directors in the mainstream of its civil service will be appointed as permanent secretaries.
This is just as the government restated its commitment to prioritizing education, saying the sector remains instrumental to human capacity development in the state.
The state deputy governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo stated this on Thursday during a courtesy by the Amananaowei, Chief Ojo Magbisa and the National Executive Council of Sagbama Federated Communities in Government House, Yenagoa.
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, the Deputy Governor stressed that government would not appoint civil servants working in parastatals, agencies and extra-ministerial departments.
The new policy, according to Senator Ewhrudjakpo, is to promote professionalism, efficiency and productivity in the state civil service.
The Deputy Governor, appreciated the people of Sagbama Local Government Area for their continued support for the Senator Douye Diri government, noting that the present administration was poised to building infrastructure in the education sector in order to improve teaching and learning.
Reacting to the issue raised by the people of Sagbama on the low population of students at the Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro College of Education (COE) Sagbama, the deputy governor attributed the problem to its earlier status of non-accreditation.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo said now that the school has secured accreditation, management of the College should come up with what he called, market penetration strategy to increase students enrollment.
On the dilapidated and inadequate infrastructure in the College, the deputy governor explained that as a matter of policy, theTertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), supports two state-owned tertiary institutions on infrastructure development annually.
According to Senator Ewhrudjakpo, the Niger Delta University and Bayelsa Medical University were the two institutions that benefited from TETFUND in 2022.
He promised that government would do its best to support the COE within limits of available resources.
Commenting on their request for the establishment of another secondary school in Sagbama, the Deputy Governor, assured that government would look into it.
Also responding to the issue of reconstructing damaged internal roads occasioned by last year’s flooding, Senator Ewhrudjakpo observed that the problem was not peculiar to Sagbama alone, assuring that the state government would deal with the problem.
On the expansion of dykes as part of flood control measures in Sagbama, the deputy governor said government was to address the problem along with Adagbabiri community.
To this end, he directed the Commissioner for Special Projects, Hon. Esinkumoh Ekisah, to swing into action by liaising with all appropriate government and development agencies to tackle the flooding challenge in the area.
Senator Ewhrudjakpo also spoke on the need for communiy leaders to assist in steming criminal activities in their domains particularly cultism in the communities.
He used the occasion to urge incommunity development committee chairmen and other key stakeholders of communities to set up vigilantes, noting that government would support them with the Bayelsa Volunteers and community safety corps to enhance security.
On the need to make functional the referral hospital in Sagbama built by the immediate past administration, Senator Ewhrudjakpo said government would pay outstanding salary arrears owed its staff.
He also assured that the state government would carry out some reconstruction work on the facility towards putting the hospital to use.
In his remarks, President of the National Executive Council, Sagbama Federated Communities, Mr Ebi Evinson, lauded the present administration for its support particularly in the appointment of Sagbama sons and daughters in various capacities as well as distribution of relief materials during the flood.
Mr. Evinson made a number of requests from the state government, urged it to consider Sagbama civil servants on directorate level for appointment as permanent secretaries.
The Caucus Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Sagbama Local Government Area, Hon Fyneman Wilson, Senator Foster Ogola, the Director General, Centre for Youth Development, Chief Ombu Okobokakpo, a former Commissioner for Finance, Dr Stephen Ogola and the Community Development Committee Chairman of Sagbama, Mr. Dwinson Ezuwe, were part of the delegation on the courtesy visit.
