Edo State Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa Esq., has earned the Award of Excellence for his exceptional leadership abilities that he has effectively used to the improvement of public service.
Okungbowa thanked the group for the acknowledgement and recognition and noted that Governor Godwin Obaseki, who gave him a platform to serve the people in that capacity, is responsible for any gains that have been recorded in the public service today in Edo State. Okungbowa accepted the award from the Forward Newspaper as the outstanding Head of Service of the year 2022.
“The Civil Service constitutes the engine of government and Mr Governor is very conscious of that to the extent of putting the needed machinery in motion to ensure that the engine that services government remains in top form,” Okungbowa said.
He listed some of the achievements of the present administration in the state including regular payment of workers’ salaries and a raise in the workers’ pay package at a time when most states are unable to pay the statutorily approved national minimum wage of N30,000.
“Edo State government has increased the minimum wage from N30,000 to N40,000 and not owing arrears of salaries and promotions. The government has deliberately embarked on reforms in the service to ensure that it is repositioned. For instance, the government has remodelled and renovated offices to ensure that the workplace is conducive,” he said.
He gave assurances about the government's commitment to strengthening civil servants' capacities, which is a crucial aspect of the reforms. As a result, the John Odigie Oyegun Public Service Academy was established, a top-notch training institute that will serve as a training ground for all Edo workers.
The e-transportation system, also known as the EDSG Uber, the adoption of the e-governance module, and merit-based employment into the State Civil/Public Service, among other things, to ensure service excellence in the system, are other areas where the state has recorded remarkable achievements, according to the Head of Service.
The Head of Service was chosen as the recipient of the award, according to Vivian Okafor, who was speaking on behalf of Forward Newspaper, because he excelled in the scaling perimeters of resourcefulness and innovation, charismatic leadership dispositions, trust, honesty, transparency, and accountability.
The ceremonial awarding of the Head of Service was the event's high point.