Taraba State Governor Arc. Darius Dickson Ishaku says the suspension of employment made from November 2012 to date in the State is basically to sanitize the Civil Service.
Darius Dickson who was speaking at the Government House on the occasion of breaking of fast organized by the State Government for the State Muslim Council and the Christian Association of Nigeria CAN to mark the month of Ramadan, said sanitizing the civil service would enhance efficiency and high productivity in the sector.
According to the Governor, he was desperate and all out to transform every sector of the economy especially the civil service which is the engine room of Government.
Darius Ishaku however, pointed out that the move was not to witch hunt anybody or to retrench civil servants, but to ensure that only people who were genuinely employed are retained in the service of Government.
He regretted that the salary bill of the state keep on shooting up despite deaths, retirements and transfers within the civil service, and attributed the trend to what he calls leakages in the government that needed to be addressed.
The governor said his election was not meant for the payment of salaries to workers only, but to ensure that development was provided in every field of human endeavor to the people of the state to better their lots.
He further pointed out that a committee to comprise men of proven integrity would be set up to verify the genuineness of every employment into the state civil service within the stipulated period, to right any wrong action for the good of the state.
He described the breaking of fast between the Muslim Ummah and the Christians in the state as a good omen and a process of cementing relationship by adherents of the two faiths to achieve peace in the state.
The Governor assured that such occasions would be organized periodically for the purpose of achieving the desired peace which is a panacea for sustainable development and social cohesion in the state and the Country as a whole.
Darius expressed optimism and his willingness to transform Taraba state, pointing out that although the state was faced with serious financial constraints, it was a must for his administration to open it up for the attainment of the set objective.
He assured that frantic efforts were being put in place to woo investors to contribute towards the development of the state and that such efforts will start yielding results as some investors and well to do friends have indicated their interest to join him to develop the state.
Governor Darius further reiterated the readiness of his administration to impact the rural folks through aggressive rural transformation programs such as provision of potable water, road network, health care delivery system, educational development including improvement of farming activities in the area of early delivery of fertilizers and implements.
Darius Dickson Ishaku said his laudable programs and policies for the good of Taraba state would not come to fruition without the support and cooperation of the people and therefore, solicited prayers from all Tarabans especially the adherents of the two major religions Christianity and Islam to rally round his administration to enable him actualize his dream for the state.
Earlier, the chairman of the Muslim Council in Taraba State Mohammed Inuwa Mafindi thanked the governor for showing them love by bringing the Muslims and Christians together to break the fast marking the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
He further extolled the virtues of Governor Darius, and pleaded with the Governor on behalf of the people of the state to rescind his decision to lay off workers employed from November, 2012 to date as doing so would strengthen the ever existing alarming rate of unemployment in the state.
Governor Darious Dickson Ishaku had in response to a plea by the vice chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria CAN, the Rev Dr. Ben Ugbe to resettle internally displaced persons IDPs following the recent communal feuds in southern and parts of central zones of the state, assured of his government plans to set up a committee to carry out the exercise to give the IDPs a sense of belonging.
The occasion was attended by the state Deputy Governor Haruna Manu, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Peter Abel Diah, Chief Judge Josephine Tuktur, Legislators, Secretary to the State Government Anthony Jellason Clergy men and Permanent Secretaries among others.
Iliya Bekyu Akweh
Deputy Chief Press Secretary to Governor Darius D. Ishaku