Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has tasked the 24 newly sworn in permanent secretaries to embrace digitalization in civil service operations inline with the present adminstration’s agenda of moving the state forward.
Governor Otti’s vision which includes migrating to digital platforms for official data processing and storage would enable individuals and businesses to access services remotely.
Speaking at Government House Umuahia, during the swearing in ceremony of the first set of Permanent Secretaries in the Abia State Civil Service under the present government, the Governor charged them to strive to improve themselves in knowledge so as to add value to the system.
He said: “You have not been chosen because you are perfect. You must therefore strive to constantly improve yourself, learn, relearn and unlearn. You should be prepared to do things differently.
“We expect to see more digitalization of civil service operations and I encourage you to work with all critical stakeholders in this regard”.
The Governor disclosed that the Commissioner for Science and Technology and his Digital Economy counterpart as well as his own office would drive the process of digitalization of the civil service.
According to the Governor, his target is that “in the next 24 months, we shall fully migrate to digital platforms for processing and storing official data , retrieving and transferring them securely from place to place as may be needed.
“When the new system becomes fully operational, individuals and businesses would no longer need to travel to Umuahia or even any Local Government headquarters to submit files, process payments or make a complaint from the comfort of their home from any part of the world or at any time of the day”.
Governor Otti who emphasized the importance of competence and character in their roles, irrespective of place of origin or religion, charged them to be firm and live above board as they discharge their duties in the new Abia.
He explained that the selection process for the Permanent Secretaries was rigorous, with over 320 applicants initially considered, saying the focus was on professionalism and a deep understanding of the civil service’s role in implementing government policies successfully.
“I can recall that at the beginning, there were over 320 applicants that went through the process but 24 emerged successful.
“In selecting the new Permanent Secretaries, the only thing that matters to us is professionalism, a robust understanding of the place of civil service in driving government policies and programmes successfully”.
The Governor further said, “we may not have selected perfect individuals, but I am confident the choices we have made aligned strongly with vision of the new civil service we want to build in the State”.
He therefore urged the newly appointed Permanent Secretaries to maintain high ethical standards, avoid corruption,support Commissioners in their duties and expressed confidence in their ability to contribute to the transformation of the civil service.
The Governor congratulated the Permanent Secretaries and expressed hope that they would live up to their oath of office and allegiance.
Responding on behalf of the new Permanent Secretaries, Mrs. Ngozi Queen Obioma thanked Governor Alex Otti for appointing them as his fist set of Permanent Secretaries.
She assured that they would work in line with the civil service reform agenda of the present administration and justify the confidence reposed in them.
