Date: 2014-10-18

This is the concluding part of the essay that the Kwara Restoration Project in collaboration with the civil service arm of the Kwara Liberation Group embarked upon two weeks ago. This is part of our ongoing mission to expose the immoral administration currently in place in Kwara state. This bunch as we all are aware is headed by Senator Bukola Saraki and Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed is just a regent. As civil servants, we are fully aware that most memos are allegedly copied to Bukola Saraki for approval. Below is the concluding part of the essay on how Bukola and Ahmed have treated Kwara civil servants with disdain.

Irregularities in the Appointment of Permanent Secretaries: The state government policy of appointing Permanent Secretaries mainly on the "outcome" of examinations being conducted by a company is fraught with several irregularities as shown below:

i. The process of selecting people to participate in the examination is fraudulent because many eligible senior officers are always excluded under an unacceptable excuse that they have less than four years more to spend in the service.

ii. The results of the examinations are never made public, and it can then be reasonably concluded that it is just a smoke screen used to elevate Government favourites to the position of Permanent Secretary.

iii. The fact that appointments of Permanent Secretaries since 2003 to date are made based on Kangaroo examinations while jettisoning important factors such as seniority, experience, past record of performance etc, makes the whole process ridiculous, unjust and wasteful. It is sad to note that only in Kwara State would you find an officer who has never managed a Section, talk less of a Department, being appointed a Permanent Secretary while substantive Directors with proven record of excellent performance are sidelined and eventually frustrated.

iv. As a further proof that the so called examination is a smoke screen, the Kwara state government has elevated their favourites into position of Permanent Secretaries without writing the so called examination. A typical example of this is the State's Accountant General who was recently awarded the position of Permanent Secretaries in addition to his position.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR KWARA CIVIL SERVANTS?

The existing maltreatment, marginalization, humiliation, pauperization, injustices in various forms being meted out to the Kwara State Civil Servants as x-rayed in this piece must not be allowed to continue. Consequently, the Civil Service arm of the Kwara Liberation Group appeals to Civil Servants in the State to give support and solidarity to the current struggle to liberate the state from the clutches of slavery which Bukola Saraki and AbdulFatah Ahmed have subjected them to from 2003 to date. To actualize this lofty objective of liberation, all Civil Servants must ensure that they obtain their voters' registration card, ensure their safe custody and come out en-mass to vote against any Governorship candidate sponsored by Bukola Saraki. Fellow Civil Servants, when this present Government in the State is voted out by the Grace of God and a true State Governor from which ever ethnic, religion or geo-political zone, comes to power on May 29th, 2015, Kwara State Civil Servants will say Bye-Bye to:Amputated salary structure; Fraudulent procedure of paying leave bonuses; Exorbitant interest on vehicle loans; Disrespect for the dignity of the civil service and its personnel; Stagnation of career progression; Appointment of Permanent Secretaries through fraudulent means; Disregard for laid down procedure, rules, and regulation in making appointment especially to leadership position in service; Nepotism etc; Bad treatment of Civil Servants; Unjustified disparity in salary of civil servants, particularly between the Permanent Secretary and substantive Directors.

Abdullahi Imam Abdullahi writes from Ilorin