The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), has said a tenure system for the position of directors would help in creating the much-needed vacancies, growth and opportunities in the civil service…..CONTINUE READING...CONTINUE READING
National President of ASCSN, Comrade Tommy Etim Okon who spoke to newsmen at the weekend, called for the immediate implementation of a circular issued by the Head of Service (HoS) on the revised tenure system which was abolished by President Muhammadu Buhari but restored just before he left office.
According to him, the absence of the tenure system was breeding an opportunity for some directors to hold onto their positions for as long as 20 years with some unwilling to vacate office, thus causing stagnation in civil service, especially in the directorate cadre.
Okon who noted that the Association has thrown its weight behind the restoration of the tenure system, explained that contrary to information in some quarters, the HoS was not behind the reversal of the abolished tenure system, but former President Buhari had given approval for it’s reversal in response to protest letters by unions demanding a return of the system.
He said: “Recently, the Head of Service of the Federation, Dr Folashade Esan released the revised public service rule and on the issue of the tenure restoration system which makes a director have four years first tenure, and then the second year, a maximum of eight years altogether.
“I am talking about directors in public service. This is in line with the newly revised public service. A circular was recently issued for compliance and it generated a lot of heat and false information which has to be corrected. The fact remains that it was not the Head of Service that sat and came up with the idea.
“When tenure was abolished by the then administration of Muhammadu Buhari, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria wrote and make a case for the restoration of that tenure system which Mr president graciously approved before he left office.
“It became obvious that it was to be embedded in the public service rule. So the coming out of that rule was not a creation of the Head of Service at all. That fact need to be established for everyone who cares to know because I have seen a lot of castigation against the Head of Service of the Federation because of the reversal of the rule.
“It was the request of the union (ASCSN) that the tenure system which was aborted by former President Buhari be restored and the reason was to give opportunities for growth and promotion because some people will spend almost 15 years in a post as a director. Some spend 20 years as a director, some will not even want to leave the directorate to go to permanent secretary. So that was why we stood against the abolition of the tenure system. Now tenure system has been revised in the public service, and the circular for it is out and it needs to be implemented.
“Let’s also not forget that there is also exclusion because there are those who are educational officers their tenure was extended by the same former President Buhari administration to cover 55 years of age and 40 years in service.
“A lot of people have remained as a director for over 8, 10 years. Some have even extended over 15 years so they think it should be business as usual. But it shouldn’t be so, because the rule covers the civil service. So if the same rule brought you into the civil service, you should abide by the rule and that is what we are saying
“So tenure restoration is in the interest of the entire working people. The reason is simple; as they move they create vacancies so that there won’t be any stagnation in the service. Of course, when you get to the top, it’s going to be a pyramid, it cannot be an inverted pyramid. It, therefore, means that the top has to be thinner.
“Everybody cannot be a permanent Secretary. But definitely, it is expected that when you rise in your career as a director, you have gotten to the top and have that fulfilment in your career. So where we now have stagnation from assistant director, to deputy director is because of the over-bloatedness in the directorate cadre.
“That was why we the union clamoured that the tenure system that was aborted by the former president Buhari administration should be reversed and that was what the Buhari’s administration did before their final exit
“So we are saying that everybody should abide by the provisions in the revised public service rule. And we support the circular that was issued for compliance…..CONTINUE READING
