Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State has assured workers that his administration has no plan to downsize.

Mr Aiyedatiwa made the promise on Monday in Akure during the Ondo State Public Service Week Celebration Lecture with the theme “Creating and Managing a Future-Ready Public Service: A Pathway to Sustainable Development”.

The governor also assured the workers of his administration’s commitment to prompt and regular payment of salaries, allowances and pensions.

“The gradual recruitment into critical sectors of the service to address acute personnel gaps will also continue as much as practicable.

“I want to assure you that even with the financial burden that all of these may attract, our administration will never ever contemplate downsizing the workforce.

“In all honesty, the public service requires to be rejigged and equipped to upscale its roles and processes to meet the trends of best world practices in public administration,” said Mr Aiyedatiwa.

He called for a more proactive, tech-driven and innovative public service.

“The capacity of the institutions and their operators must be enhanced for effective and efficient service delivery to justify the huge resources invested in it and to serve society better,” he said.

Mr Aiyedatiwa, while assuring the workers of the payment of the new minimum wage, congratulated them on the 2024 celebration.

Earlier, the head of service, Bayo Philip, appreciated the governor for his moral and physical support towards the welfare of public servants in the state.

Mr Philip thanked the governor for the constant payment of workers’ salaries, key appointments, and the promotion of over 5,040 civil servants in the state.

He stressed the essential role of the public service in fostering forward-thinking governance and highlighted the administration’s commitment to regular salary payments, pensions and the provision of 2024 leave bonuses.

(NAN)