September 11, (THEWILL) – The Kano State Head of Civil Service (HoCS), Alhaji Abdullahi Musa, says his office has effectively checked absenteeism and lateness among civil servants in the state.
Musa, who disclosed this during an interview with newsmen in his office on Wednesday, described the situation as a serious one that deserved a serious response.
“Since we came in, we have been able to address the issues of absenteeism and lateness among civil servants in the state such that workers now report for work promptly and close at the stipulated time.
“If you look round the state secretariat you will notice that the offices are full of activities with the civil servants promptly performing their assigned duties,” he said.
According to him, the feat was achieved through contacts and engagements with workers, urging them to change their attitude to work for their own good, the good of the service and the state.
He said as part of the engagement and contact policy, they had visited virtually all the ministries, departments and agencies in the state, met with their staff and talked to them about the need to adjust and change their attitude to work.
Musa said he also organised a parley for the workers during which he talked to them and appealed to their conscience to change their attitude to work, reminding them that they represent between 21 and 23 million people of the state.
“We adopted the Carrot and Stick approach in order to address the situation, but so far, we have only been using the Carrot method; the stick approach will be used when the need arises,” he said.
The HoCS also said that he decided not to use circular to change the situation, as the method might not give the desired results in good time and the circumstances.
He expressed delight that the engagement policy is working as the 160,000 workers in the service are adjusting to the new situation.
Abdullahi Yusuf is a seasoned journalist, communicator and was previously the Deputy Editor-In-Chief and Zonal Manager, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Jos, where he retired on December 15, 2021
