The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), is currently playing host to a 5-day meeting of the 43rd National Council on Establishments(NCE).
The meeting which commenced on Monday,24th January 2022, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, will end on Friday,28th January 2022, and is expected to have in attendance the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr.FolasadeYemi-Esan, Heads of Service of the 36 States of the Federation and FCT, Federal Permanent Secretaries and Permanent Secretaries of the 36 States in charge of establishments. Among other issues, the meeting is also expected to adopt the minutes of the 42nd Meeting of the NCE that took place last year in Lagos.
The National Council on Establishments is the highest policy formulation and clearance body on matters pertaining to staff establishments, salary structures, gradings, conditions and schemes of service. In addition, the Council is set up to ensure uniformity and standardization in the Nigerian Civil Service. The meeting of the Council takes place annually and it is often rotated among States.
In his address at the opening session, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Capital Territory Administration(FCTA), Mr Olusade Adesola harped on the need for continuous reform and repositioning of the Civil Service in order to sustain its relevance at all times. Stressing that holding the National Council on Establishments annually provides the platform for participants to seek better working conditions as well as reflect deeply on their roles and responsibilities and also evolve strategies and policies that will enhance the discharge of its mandates to the Government and deliver efficient services to the citizens.
Citing the Civil Service Handbook, he described Civil Service as the tool which Government uses for planning and executing its programmes and therefore, that a committed Civil Service is the best vehicle for carrying out and explaining to the people, the policies and intentions of Government.
The Permanent Secretary, who disclosed that already the Administration has cleared 2021 promotion salary backlog of FCTA staff, as well as made staff promotion an annual exercise, added that the steps taken so far, are geared towards building a well-committed FCTA workforce.
Dwelling more on the efforts the Administration has made to build a strong and motivated staff, the Permanent Secretary revealed that last year alone, over 40 per cent of the FCTA workforce participated in one form of training or the other. Even as he disclosed that plan is already at an advanced stage to train additional staff at prestigious training Institutes, such as Lagos Business School and Philip Consulting in Lagos.
He said due to the high premium the Administration places on retirees’ welfare, currently, the Administration is not owing any single retiree.
Speaking further, Mr. Adesola explained that it is the responsibility of civil servants to ensure the smooth and effective day-to-day performance of the machinery of government.
He urged the NCE to ensure their recommendations align with the policy trust of the Government and also strive to demonstrate the same concern with the Government on the rising cost of governance.
The Permanent Secretary lauded the officials of NCE for including MSMEs as one of the sideline events for this year’s Council meeting, explaining that MSMEs have become the foundation on which the Nigerian economy lies and by strengthening MSMEs, it will help in the diversification of the economy.
He expressed optimism that the meeting will set the appropriate agenda for the Council to further strengthen the Civil Service to enable it meet its objectives and properly play its role in the development of the country.
The Head of FCTA Bureaucrat, charged the delegates to contribute meaningfully to the proceedings and make germane contributions driven by patriotism and love for the country.
Also, in his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Service Policies, StrategiesOffice, Dr. Emmanuel Meribole said the cardinal role of Civil Service is service to the public. He added that the principles in the discharge of this fundamental objective are accountability, responsiveness, objectivity and impartiality.
He charged civil servants to double their efforts to ensure that the Civil Service is re-engineered and re-fertilized to meet the challenges of modern times.
On his part, the Director of the Department of Human Resources Management, FCTA, Dr. Bashir Muhammed who welcomed the delegates to the meeting, assured the Council of continuous collaboration and support.
Director, Office of the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Udo Atang who thanked participants for travelling far and near to the Federal Capital Territory to attend the 43rd Council meeting, particularly commended the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation for granting FCTA the honour to host the epoch-making event.
