WorldStage– The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has urged the Federal Government to create additional vacancies at the directorate level to address prolonged career stagnation.
The National Vice President, ASCSN, Mr Olubunmi Fajobi, made the call on Wednesday at a news conference on the plan by the Federal Government to concession 120 unity schools, held in King’s College, Lagos.
Fajobi said that the creation of more vacancies at the directorate level would improve workers’ morale in the public service.
He said that the absence of sufficient directorate positions had left many qualified officers stagnated for years, in spite of meeting the requirements for promotion.
According to him, creating more vacancies will enable deserving officers to attain career progression, enhance productivity and strengthen service delivery across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
He suggested that additional vacancies could be created by disarticulating senior secondary schools from their junior arms, with each headed by separate directors.
The national vice president also proposed splitting large departments into smaller units headed by directors, and upgrading strategic units in MDAs to full departments to create more directorate positions.
He reiterated the association’s opposition to the planned concession of Federal Government Colleges, popularly known as unity schools, warning that the policy could make quality public education unaffordable and threaten the jobs of thousands of workers.
He urged the government to abandon the concession plan and instead provide adequate funding to improve infrastructure, teaching and learning in the schools.
The ASCSN vice president also appealed to the Federal Government to approve palliatives for public servants to cushion the effects of the prevailing economic hardship.
He said rising inflation and the increasing cost of living had placed enormous pressure on workers and their families, making additional support imperative.Fajobi expressed confidence that addressing career stagnation, protecting public education and providing economic relief for workers would boost morale and improve the efficiency of the public service.
