Rivers State Head of Service (HOS), Mrs. Esther Anucha, has urged Civil Servants and the public to disregard the unsavoury reports published in some local newspapers in the State aimed at tarnishing her hard-earned reputation.
Mrs. Anucha stated this recently at a meeting with staff of the Office of the Head of Service held at the Conference Hall, Point Block, Secretariat Complex in Port Harcourt.
The Head of Service, who used the forum to formally announce her statutory retirement from the Service in September this year, recounted the series of negative reports dating back to the year 2010 when it was falsely reported that she had been suspended by the Governor for allegedly embezzling N1m gift given to each Civil Servant in the State.
Recently, another report of monies for Christmas hampers and falsification of age documents were dangled to embarrass, malign and discredit her, describing the reports as malicious and wicked, and wondered where on earth such things had happened before, that a Governor would leave important projects to be executed which would benefit the masses to give N1m each to 55,000 Civil Servants who were on the payroll of government at that time.
She said it was necessary to clarify these issues, pointing out that most of the local newspapers that published such false stories are not registered and have no fixed address, while her Lawyers have been directed to file a court action on the criminal and malicious publication
Mrs. Anucha explained that a Committee comprising Permanent Secretaries, Directors and members of Labour Unions including the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council was set up to plan for the party and a memo was submitted with a proposal that each Civil Servants be given N10,000 as Christmas bonus but the Governor in his wisdom, graciously approved N5,000 each, noting that the record is available for anyone to cross-check.
On the age falsification report, Mrs. Anucha said, “1 started work in the Governor’s Office and by the grace of God, I am retiring from the same Office. My records are there in the Civil Service Commission and in all the MDAs I had worked. I worked in the Schools Board, the Ministries of Education, Transport, Agriculture, and in all these MDAs my records are there for anyone to cross-check”.
She said the State Governor was very pleased with her Office for successfully reducing the staff strength from 55,000 staff paid between 2008 and 2010 to 47,000 being paid presently, at the conclusion of the staff biometric exercise.
Mrs. Anucha also recalled the series of threat messages she received in 2009 and 2010 when the Circular on Study Leave without Pay was withdrawn, but thanked God for his mercies and protection.
The Head of Service also used the occasion to formally launch the third edition of “The Rivers Bureaucrat Magazine”, one of the innovations she initiated in the Service to inform, educate and encourage Civil Servants to imbibe a reading culture. ####
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