18 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2013 HE recent sad crash of Associated Airlines plane just outside the perimeter fence of the domestic wing of Murtala Mohammad Airport, Lagos exposed, once again, an ugly side of our society, which has become a regular occurrence. As soon as the crash took place, people rushed to the scene. Majority of them al processing of accident scene. were genuine sympathisers eager to lend Time has come when the authorities spea helping hand to save fellow Nigerians, cially set up to deal with these sorts of dead or dying, from a most traumatic ac- emergencies engaged the public to partcident. ner with them in securing crash sites But among these were hoodlums, whose against the invasion of thieves and lootprimary agenda was to rob the victims of ers, whose activities invariably comprotheir material belongings. These are usu- mise investigation that helps to prevent ally the first to arrive accident scenes be- future occurrences. cause it ensures they would be able to loot There is also need for the government, as much as possible before the law en- the media and civil society to debunk the forcement agents and well-meaning res- notion that air travel is a pastime, which cuers would arrive. It is a pity that it is the rich and the corrupt engage in to show these evil people that always get there off their affluence. Views being expressed first rather than the law enforcement per- by many commentators in the social mesonnel and other specialised agents dia networks give the impression that trained and equipped for rescue opera- plane crashes are like judgements protions, who ought to get there first and se- nounced on the rich and corrupt. It is this cure the scene to enable full, profession- mentality that drives urchins, who invade
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Crash-site robberies
crash sites to commence orgies of looting of victims. Our people must be made to understand that air travel is part and parcel of modern society; just another means of transport. Every person, irrespective of their social standing, will have the opportunity or need to travel by air some time in their lives. They must also understand that the wealthy people are not necessarily the enemies of the poor and vice versa. Not every so-called wealthy person is corrupt or achieved that status by oppressing the poor. We live in a society, where social mobility is free. Nigeria is not one of those societies, where the poor have no hope. The truth is that those, who engage in this evil act also practise it upon road accident victims, which shows the act for what it really is: Evil criminality that every right thinking member of society must shrink from. The law enforcement agents, on getting to crash sites of any sort, must be prepared to apprehend culprits, parade them and visit the full weight of law on them.
OPINION BY DR. ROMANUS UWA
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T was David Gemmell in his book, Shield Of Thunder who said: “I may be stupid, as you say, to believe in honour and friendship and loyalty without price. But these are virtues to be cherished, for without them we are no more than beasts roaming the land.” The above aphorism is axiomatic and factual. One cannot attract friendship, honour and loyalty without paying a price for it. The price for it is personal sacrifice and selfless service to humanity at all times. That is what attracts an honour to be cherished by all. It was this personal sacrifice that Governor Theodore Orji has made right from his days as a renowned public servant and still making now as the Governor of Abia State. With an outstanding track record in public service that spanned over two decades, Gov Orji on assumption of office in 2007 made the reformation of the state civil service a top priority. This was not only because the sector was his primary constituency, but because he had always known and believe that a strong and refined civil service is a pillar for successful and good administration. Appreciating and eulogizing Orji’s remarkable achievements in the state civil service and other sectors of the economy so far, the Abia civil and public service workforce under the aegis of Consolidated Abia State Public Service, CASPS, recently rolled out drums in grand style in Umuahia, the state capital, to honour him for a job well done. The event which was well-attended by the workers in the state took off with an interdenominational service and ended with an award of “Icon Of Public Service” to Governor Orji by the workers. And one may ask or wonder what has the Governor done for the civil servants in the state to deserve such honour which is rare and unprecedented in government-civil servants relationship in the country. C M Y K
Pertinent questions on Abia workers award Having been part of the civil/public service before becoming governor of the state in 2007, there is no doubt that Orji has deep knowledge of the sector and the problems bedeviling it in the state which in most cases were politically-motivated. Tackling the rot and internal squabbles in the state civil service orchestrated by its politicisation and lack of transparency, Orji’s government introduced core values, merit, transparency and professionalism. To start with, several workers that were due for promotion over the years, but had their promotions stunted for tribal and political reasons, were expressly and meritoriously promoted and paid their entitlements by the state government without discrimination. Those that were due for retirement, but have continued to manipulate their records to remain in the service illegally were properly investigated, retired and paid their entitlements without delay or victimization. Workers in the state started attending periodic training and workshops, that were being sponsored by the state government, to acquire more skills and improve on service delivery. Although the national minimum wage of N18,000 has been signed into law, some state governments across the country have failed to pay their workers the stipulated amount till date, citing lack of fund as excuse. Though Abia is not among the richest states in the country, the state government has since been paying its workers N21,000 as minimum wage as against N18,000, thus making Abia the first state in the country to do so. he state government tackled the menace of ghost work ers which was an age-long tradition and a conduit pipe in the service by introducing compulsory biometric data capturing of all workers in the state civil service. Major beneficiaries of the rot in the service, who wanted the status quo to remain, tried everything possible to resist the reforms by inciting other workers against accepting the
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innovation. But the state government remained undaunted. And soon people were left wondering why supposedly genuine workers in the state civil service should be opposed to biometric data capturing, especially as it has become a global trend for easy identification of individuals? What were the fears if they were qualified and genuinely employed? But the resistance was a clear picture of how corrupt the civil service has become in the country over the years. It was during the process that the state government discovered that in different council areas of the state no fewer than 1, 727 workers were ghost workers. This number represents the workers who did not show up or report for capturing during the biometric verification that lasted for months, whereas they have been receiving salaries and allowances for years. According to the Chairman of the Biometric Data Implementation Committee and Chief of Staff to the governor, Mr. Cosmos Ndukwe, Aba South Council area with 245 ghost workers topped the list, followed by Isiala Ngwa South with 153, and Osisioma Ngwa with 138 ghost workers. Others were Ikwuano, 117; Umuahia North, 123; Umuahia South, 101; Isiala Ngwa North, 92; Umunneochi, 65; while Ugwuanagbo Local Government Area had the least with 28 ghost workers. That was how the government plugged all the loopholes that encouraged ghost workers practice in the service. The development also tackled the problem of truancy in the civil service as most workers especially in the commercial city of Aba before now do not come to work regularly, only to come to collect salary at the end of the month. Today workers in the state receive their salaries and entitlements as at when due. *Uwa, a medical practitioner, wrote from Aba, Abia State