… bemoans lackluster work culture among some Govt officials
By Isaac Aimurie, Henry Oqua and Godspower Eguasa
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has charged heads of ministries, departments and agencies in the State to eliminate waste and deliver efficient services to the people.
He gave the charge during the State Government’s Leadership Retreat with the theme: ‘Expanding Frontiers, Succeeding Together’ which started on Monday, September 12, 2022.
Welcoming participants to the event, Obaseki urged the participants to develop a work ethic that is pro-people and emphasized that the reason the government exists is to serve the people.
“The country is maturing and people now demand a lot more from people with responsibility to manage their resources. I am sure you are all watching developments in the country very closely, particularly the evolving political developments.
“One thing is becoming clear, Nigerians are now getting fed up with the government and the people who represent them in government, and you can see that in their reactions on social media,” he said.
He challenged participants to make the needed changes in the course of their duty to deliver quality services to the electorates, while condemning the attitude of some government officials “who still think that things are still the same, we have seen it before, we are the ones that are here, government is for government and the people in government.”
He warned that a shocker awaits such government officials in the near future and said that in the next general elections in the country, the electorates are going to vote their choice.
“Nobody, let’s not kid ourselves, nobody, no political party today can thump their chests and say in the next elections we will have a clear victory because people are watching.
“The only reason people will leave their homes to come and vote is because there is a reason for them to; it is either they are voting against something or they are voting for something. If they have not benefited, they are not likely to come out there to even show interest.
“People will ask what have you done for us lately, those things that you promised us, you did not deliver, our road has not been done, look at floods ravaging us and you want us to vote for you, you think we are fools?
“That is how people are going to react and nobody will be spared. So the politicians will get kicked out of office if they feel he hasn’t performed. A new group of people will come in, they will not spare the civil servants either, they will put pressure on them,” the Governor said.
He encouraged the participants to collaborate and prioritize projects in the face of the growing demand for development amid dwindling resources.
He however warned that his administration would be constrained to do away with workers that are not pulling their weight in delivering tasks expected of them.
“Government has grown like an octopus and we are spending so much on the government but not enough to provide services to our people,” he said.
He assured that the economic trends across the country informed his administration’s resolve to diversify the economy and tap into the potential in tourism as well as information and communication technology (ICT).
