This, it said, it planned to do through the promotion and provision of staff welfare and motivation; forging a cast-iron relationship between the political and bureaucratic leadership, identifying and targeting the main barriers to innovation among others.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, said yesterday that as the nation celebrated its 56th Independence Day anniversary, government was aware of the challenges faced by civil servants that hindered them from performing their duties diligently.

 
According to her, the relevant training programmes recently embarked upon were aimed at enhancing the workforce so as to reposition it in the new task of bringing about the desired change by the current administration.

 
Oyo-Ita  added that  the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration was committed to the provision of better welfare services for workers in order to ameliorate their sufferings, particularly in the area of provision of decent and affordable accommodation, even as she said that modalities were being worked out on how workers could own their personal home through the Federal Integrated Staff Housing (FISH)Programme with little or no pains.

 
The Head of Service also assured that measures to cushion the effect of the present economic challenges on workers and pensioners by prompt payment of their salaries were being worked out within the available resources.

 
She urged Public Servants in the country to continually exhibit the highest level of professionalism in all their responsibilities in view of the strategic and significant role they play in the development of the nation.

 
“All Public Servants must look at themselves and say ‘change begins with us’”, she said.

While wishing workers a successful Independence Day Celebration, the Head of Service thanked them for their understanding, patience, commitment, and punctuality to duty even with the current economic crisis that is confronting the nation.