Ex-HoS, Kifasi, seeks better welfare for workers
THE newly-appointed Acting Head of Service (HoS), Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, yesterday officially took over from the immediate past HoS, Danladi Kifasi, with a promise to bring on board new innovations necessary to deliver good services to Nigerians.

The appointment of Oyo-Ita by President Muhammadu Buhari was announced on Tuesday following the acceptance and confirmation of a resignation letter earlier sent to government by the immediate past HOS.

Oyo-Ita is the first female to occupy the position in Nigeria and the 18th in the order.
In a brief ceremony in Abuja, Oyo-Ita said: ‘’At a time such as this when expectations of our people on the new government are so huge, we have to be innovative and reposition ourselves to deliver efficient, timely and quality service to meet the desires of our people.’’
She noted that presently, Nigeria along with other countries of the world, has adopted a new set of sustainable development goals for the economic, political, social and environmental advancement of the world, saying: ‘’In this regard and for us to be relevant, we must key into this global agenda, including government’s agenda for change, poverty reduction and social transformation.”

According to her, a major success factor in the realization of the lofty objectives of government is hinged on a professionally, competent and result oriented civil service stressing that a service which derives its inspiration from the mission, ‘’To attain an integrity and merit-based service that is performance-driven, accountable and committed to continuous improvement in the conduct of government business’’.

While expressing gratitude to God, the HoS thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for the appointment.
Earlier in his address, Kifasi called for improved welfare support packages for civil servants.
He said: ‘’My colleagues, an area that requires more attention is the provision of welfare support for civil servants, our desire to motivate civil servants to higher productivity had at times been constrained by lean budgetary allocations occasioned by low government revenues.’’

Kifasi said that for the civil service to be able to sustain operations and ensure effective provision of services to the public, it has become imperative to adjust and prioritise expenditure to meet critical needs.
While congratulating Oyo-Ita for her appointment, Kifasi equally appealed to members of staff to extend their support to her to enable her deliver.