Governor Alex Otti of Abia has inaugurated the Abia State Civil Service Reform Committee with a charge to identify and review the anomalies in the state civil service.

Speaking on Tuesday during the event at the Government House, Umuahia, Mr Otti urged the committee to discharge its duty credibly to enable the government achieve its goal of building a civil service that would be effecient, dedicated and performance-driven.

The governor, represented by the secretary to the state government, Kenneth Kalu, directed the committee to work closely with the office of the head of service to get relevant information for easy execution of their assignment.

Mr Otri described the civil service as critical machinery of the governance, adding that the civil service played a vital role in the  execution of government’s  policies and objectives.

He said that the committee was not set up to witchhunt anybody, rather it was meant to assist government in creating a better service that would be  beneficial to the people of Abia.

Mr Otti said the terms of reference given to the committee include “to review the current civil service structure with a view to improving the efficiency of the civil service, to review the process of appointment, promotion and dismissal and to make appropriate recommendations” and “to review the command promotions done from 2007 to date and to make appropriate recommendations, to recommend how to improve attendance and general discipline in the service.”

Mr Otti also asked the committee “to examine how to address the issues concerning pensioners and to undertake every other review with a view to making recommendations on how to improve general efficiency.”

The committee chairman, Chibueze Ukaegbu, said the tasks would be performed without fear or favour.

(NAN)