…Cuts 53Rd Birthday Cake With Fresh Employees
By Clement Ovokeroye Paul
BAYELSA – The Governor of Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, has on Monday, presented letters of employment to 1000 successful young graduates into the state civil service in fulfillment of his promise to the Bayelsa people.
The Governor who had lifted the embargo on mass employment in the state some time last with a behest to employ 1000 young graduates in the civil service, charged the newly employed graduates to adopt healthy work ethics, shun truancy, absenteeism and other acts of indiscipline in the state civil service.
A statement made available to Bight News in Yenagoa by his Special Adviser on Media Relations, Fidelis Soriwei, quoted the Governor as saying that the recruitment process that led to the emergence of the 1000 new intakes was transparent and based strictly on merit.
He said that he resisted a lot of calls from people in high places to influence the recruitment process stressing that no top official of his government had any favoured candidate in the recruitment exercise.
The Governor who spoke amidst cheers from the new employees said that tainted and nepotistic recruitment into the public service must be eradicated to put the state on the desired path of progress and stability.
He described the exercise as the first of its kind in the history of Bayelsa State where young graduates as many as 1000 were competitively recruited without any interference from anywhere.
Dickson promised to direct the conduct of another recruitment excise to regularise the appointment of qualified Bayelsans being employed to do permanent jobs as temporary staff.
He warned that civil servants who avoid performance of their duties would be sacked for young and vibrant Bayelsan to take their positions.
He said, “This is the beginning of transparent recruitment into the public service. This is the first time we are recruiting such a large number of civil servants and it is done transparently. The young graduates who are receiving their letters emerged through a rigorous process of recruitment. This is the first time I have directed a comprehensive recruitment exercise.
“I have received a number of calls, pleas, request, some of them from very senior people, pleading with me to take their children and
I kept asking them one question: If we continue to listen to those people, what would have happen to those who have nobody to speak for them.
“If you go through this list, I never gave any name to the Chairman. I don’t know any of you. We have to change these things to take the state to a new level, to create a new Bayelsa.
“Civil servants who do not go to work will be edged out for young people to come in. If you want to be great, you have to change your mindset. We will send away those who don’t come to work for young, vibrant and dedicated Bayelsans to take their place.”
The Governor directed the Head of Service and the Civil Service Commission to organize an induction course for the new employees.
In his remarks, Chairman of the State Civil Service Commission, Dr. Peter Singabele, said the recruitment process commenced in June, last year with over 23,000 applicants.
According to Dr. Singabele, 21,734 who qualified at the end of the screening exercise, wrote the examination, out of which, 4,824 passed, with the 1000 emerging as the successful candidates.
Governor Dickson who clocked 53 years today was joined by the newly employed young Bayelsans to cut his cake amidst after he issued them employment letters at the Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha Memorial Banquet Hall, Government House,Yenagoa.
