Task Before New Permanent Secretaries

By Solomon Okpo

In his avowed bid to rejig the machinery of his administration, Governor Umo Eno Monday swore-in twelve new Permanent Secretaries.

The Exercise which is the first since he took office last year, was held at Government House, Uyo, and was attended by government officials, friends and family members of the new Permanent Secretaries.

Eno told the new helmsmen that their appointments were based on hard work and merit and that they should use their positions to actualize the ARISE AGENDA of his administration for the benefit of the people.

He warned that he will not accept any excuses from any of them, reminding that the people of Akwa Ibom entrusted their votes for him to work for the overall interest of the state, but not to give excuses.

As the engine room of their various ministries, departments and parastatals, he admonished them to work in collaboration with their commissioners for peace and development to prevail.

While congratulating the new Permanent Secretaries on their appointment, we urged them to see their appointments as an opportunity to serve the people diligently.

Eno directed that reports on all government investments from all parastatals be made to the Akwa Ibom Investment Corporation (AKICORP) before the end of June, 2024 expressing regrets over the inability of some agencies handling state investments to avail the government with their management reports, the governor said his administration is poised to audit all its parastatals and agencies without fear or forever.

Responding, one of the new Permanent Secretaries, Mrs. Grace Akpan, thanked the governor for finding her and her co-appointees worthy of elevation and for the opportunity to serve the state.

She pledged that they would bring their expertise and experience to bear in the execution of their duties.

However, doubts are being expressed in many quarters on how the permanent secretaries perform to the maximum using their bare knuckles.
This fear stems from the fact that past and present government has not well-equipped them to perform their duties as expected.

For instance, they have not been provided with any operational vehicle to ease their movement and one wonders how they will discharge their duties using public transport or by trekking.

Moreover, subvention and facilities needed for the smooth operation of their offices have not been released for a period now and it is questionable how they will control men, money and materials using their meagre salaries.

Consequently, government must of necessity assist and cooperate with the permanent secretaries by providing them with the necessary tools for them to function effectively.

The civil servants must not be seen as second-class citizens compared to political appointees.

Governor Umo Eno must put his words into action as the opposite of this will only translate into mere political utterances.