By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
Edo state Governor Godwin Obaseki has explained why he is yet to appoint his Commissioners several months after his second term inauguration.
Speaking to State House Correspondents on Wednesday after a closed door meeting with Professor Ibrahim Gambari, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari at Presidential Villa, Abuja, Obaseki revealed that he has delayed the appointment in order to restructure process of government, particularly the Edo civil service.
Explaining further he said he needed to reposition the civil service because no matter how great a cabinet is, if the government and the functions of government are not operating properly, the executive cannot function optimally.
The Governor however assured that the Commissioners will be soon be appointed, adding that nominations have already started at wards and local government levels.
“Well, you see I spent the first four years as governor. So, I know what the challenges of governance is. We spent the last six months trying to restructure process of government, particularly the civil service, because no matter how great a cabinet is, if the government and the functions of government are not operating properly, the executive cannot function optimally.
“So, the last six months, we’ve tried to redefine the structures of governance, working through every layer of the civil service, define the roles, the responsibilities, trying to understand the resources available, and put in place key performance indicators and scorecards for every MDA in government. And this we did, such that the civil servants have no excuse to say they couldn’t do what they’re doing because of political interference.
“So we’ve tried to keep politics out of government in the last seven months, to redefine the processes to define the structures and define the service delivery criteria for government. Now that we have done that, we now hired a whole crop of civil and public servants, we have about 1500 of them, we have hired, and we’re introducing technology. we have, perhaps one of the best training facilities in the country.
“And we are now ready for the political class for the commissioners, to now step in to government and do what they’re supposed to do and give political direction to the process of government”.
Asked if he has a timeframe to appoint his Commissioners, he said: “Well, as I speak, I have mandated words, local governments to give me nominations, the nominations coming in from the wards and the local governments. And the selection team is being put place to screen these candidates for submission to maybe before passing to the state House of Assembly.
On the quarrel within his party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which looks like the old APC, new PDP having issues and how he intends to solve it, he said; “It’s an ongoing process.
“I mean, it’s very normal in a political system in a political arrangement that when two parties meets even, in fact, in nature, when two rivers meet, it takes a while for them to blend before they get an even call off. So, that’s the process we’ve been going through as governments, the people who came with me from my old party who have joined the new party, and have to be accommodated.
“The people in the old PDP also have to get used to the new people coming in, and that process is taking a while but it’s it’s settling. It’s not unusual. As long as there’s openness, as long as we are talking. It will be resolved”, Obaseki hinted.
On the reason he was at Presidential Villa, Abuja, “I just decided to pop in to see the chief of staff and to just touch base on a few issues, particularly as it relates to the artefacts. I’m sure you know that we’ve been in conversations with the federal government on the artefacts.
“Lots of Benin artworks that are in Europe and the Americas. We’ve had conversations on how to return these works, particularly as some countries have indicated their interest and desire to return the works. I just come to bring the chief of staff on the steps that have been taken on the level of collaboration with the federal government.
“And the plans to build a museum in Benin that will host these works. And also that beyond the works, we are going to be having much archeological work undertaken to see what we can find and also Research and resurrections of cultural heritage are the most”.
