By Ayobahan Osarumwense Mary
The Edo State Flood Erosion Watershed Management Agency (FEWMA) on Monday commenced a four-day staff on-boarding and orientation for new staff of the agency to arm them with the requisite information and knowledge to perform optimally.
The event which is being held at John Odigie Oyegun Public Service Academy, Benin City, was declared open by the Edo State Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa Esq.
In his welcome address, Okungbowa urged the new employees to contribute their ideas, knowledge and experience to make the civil/public service better.
He said: “The Governor is working hard at effecting a paradigm shift in the service. We expect that as you are coming in fresh with all your ideas, intelligence and experience in the private sector, you will leverage all the advantages to make the service better.”
While highlighting some of the achievements of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration and his commitment to the transformation of the civil and public service, he charged the new employees, “you have come into the service at a very special time when the best Governor in Nigeria is the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki as awarded by the VANGUARD Newspaper.
“The only Governor that has thought it necessary to increase the minimum wage when labor unions did not ask for it and pays salary before the 26th of the month.”
The Head of Service also added, “You have come in at a time when the civil/ public service is going through a deep-rooted transformation. Processes are being reformed, welfare is being attended to and infrastructural development is apt.
“In terms of intellectual property resource development, there is none like it. But as you know, to whom much is given much is expected, which means you are expected to contribute your quota to the growth and development of the service and take it beyond where you met it.
“As men and women whom the Governor is expecting to use to effect the change in paradigm, change in direction, change in approach in the civil and public service not to disappoint Mr. Governor.”
In a lecture delivered by the Permanent Secretary, Human Resource Management, Mr. George Igberaese, he enlightened the new employees on the Key and Relevant Civil and Public Service Rules, Regulation, Policies and Practices.
On his part, the Managing Director of Edo FEWMA, Dr. Tom Obaseki, speaking on the mandate, vision and mission of the Edo FEWMA said: “FEWMA is one of the creations of the State Government. It is established by the Flood, Erosion Watershed Management Agency Acts of July 2021. Basically, it is to ensure we reduce the susceptibility of soil erosion to our land and to prevent further degradation of our land mass.”
He expressed gratitude to the Head of Service and admonished the new recruits to be result-oriented.
According to him, Edo FEWMA is a unique agency. “What makes FEWMA agency unique is that it is a multi-disciplinary agency and also adopts a multi-disciplinary approach,” he added.
In an interview with one of the new employees, Inarumen Winifred Chinenye, said, “The recruitment process was really transparent and fair. I thought it will be business as usual whereby you apply for a job for which they had already taken those that they need, but post it just to fulfill all righteousness.
“But I was really surprised that I was called. I do not know anybody. It was based on merit. This opportunity has opened my eyes to see a lot of things that the Government has been doing in the civil service. It is an open system.”
She expressed gratitude to the Governor for bringing the State up to world standards and for establishing a merit-driven process.
Mr. Olu-egbor Oseyomon Gabriel, another new recruit, said that “the recruitment process is excellent; we are about 24 persons who were employed; we all came in based on merit which is rare.
“I have never really heard of it in any governmental organization where a process is done based on merit; there is always an area for nepotism, but that did not play out here. It was free, fair and transparent.”
He commended the Governor for giving him the opportunity to serve and promised not to let Edo people down.”
