The Governor of Edo State, Godwin
Obaseki, and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) have disagreed over plans to
make examinations a necessity for promotions.
While addressing journalists at
one of the examination centres in Benin City, Obaseki refuted reports that his
administration is in the process of pruning down the civil service through
promotional examination for public servants.
He maintained that the evaluation
would help government improve the service delivery of its workforce.
The governor added that the
exercise was in good faith and asked civil servants not to fear, saying the
examination was necessary to fill the available vacant positions of directors
in the state civil service.
He stated that the senior
government workers were going through a promotion examination and not competency
test as being insinuated.
He said: “Before promotions are
made, civil servants need to go through a promotion examination, not competency
test. They are already competent and that is why they are working in the
service.”
The governor explained that the examinations
earlier conducted for level 16 and 17 officers in the state were used to
discover some civil servants who filled the vacancies of permanent secretaries.
He added that the just concluded
examination would also help the administration understand the kind of training
needed to build the civil service.
“We are not sacking anybody, but
we want to strengthen the service so that they can deliver good and efficient
services to the state.
“The examination is not
compulsory but necessary for promotion as those who needed to be promoted have
to write the examination. If you fail to do the test, then there are no bases
to promote you,” Obaseki said.
However, labour unions in the
state noted that the whole idea of promotion examinations for civil servants
would not be tolerated.
The Chairman of Nigeria Labour
Congress (NLC), Edo State chapter, Emmanuel Ademokun, as well as the Vice
Chairman of Joint Negotiating Council, Joe Amokhai, argued that the
examinations contradicted the labour law.
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