Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, and the Nigerian Labour
Congress (NLC) have disagreed over plans to make examinations a prerequisite for promotions.
While addressing journalists at one of the examination centres in
Benin City, Goivernor Obaseki refuted reports that his administration is in the
process of pruning down the civil service through promotional
examination for public servants.
He maintained that the evaluation would help government improve the service delivery of its workforce.
The governor added that the exercise was in good faith and asked
civil servants not to fear, saying the examination was necessary to fill
the available vacant positions of directors in the state civil service.
He stated that the senior government workers were going through a
promotion examination and not competency test as being insinuated.
He said: “Before promotions are made, civil servants need to go
through a promotion examination, not competency test. They are already
competent and that is why they are working in the service.”
The governor explained that the examinations earlier conducted for
level 16 and 17 officers in the state were used to discover some civil
servants who filled the vacancies of permanent secretaries.
He added that the just concluded examination would also help the
administration understand the kind of training needed to build the civil
service.
“We are not sacking anybody, but we want to strengthen the service so
that they can deliver good and efficient services to the state.
The examination is not compulsory but necessary for promotion as
those who needed to be promoted have to write the examination. If you
fail to do the test, then there are no bases to promote you,” Obaseki
said.
However, labour unions in the state noted that the whole idea of
promotion examinations for civil servants would not be tolerated. The Chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Edo State chapter,
Emmanuel Ademokun, as well as the Vice Chairman of Joint Negotiating
Council, Joe Amokhai, argued that the examinations contradicted the
labour law.