Governor Alex Otti, on Tuesday, presented brand new cars to the 28 permanent secretaries to enhance service delivery and motivate them.

The governor said the new vehicles were provided to make their work easier and more dignified.

“Gone are the days when our permanent secretaries came to work in tricycles. From today, you are all driving away brand-new Geely Emgrand cars,” the governor said.

Mr Otti also assured them that the vehicles were fully paid for by the government and that they would not bear any cost. He expressed confidence that the gesture would lead to better service delivery, greater motivation, and a more efficient civil service in the state.

Mr Otti made the presentation at the Government House, Umuahia, after a closed-door meeting with them. He said the gesture was part of his administration’s resolve to restore dignity to the civil service and provide the necessary tools for effective service delivery.

He also said that the appointment of the permanent secretaries was done strictly on merit, transparency, and competence. According to him, none of them was selected based on personal connection.

“All of you attained this position on your own merit, even those I knew before the process did not make it because it was transparently conducted,” Mr Otti said.

The governor commended them for their cooperation, saying that they were instrumental to the success of his administration’s policies and programmes. He said that his government was embarking on a new phase of civil service transformation, driven by digitalisation to improve efficiency and accountability.

Mr Otti disclosed that he had approved the procurement of internet-ready devices for all permanent secretaries, adding that plans were underway to make the entire state internet-enabled because the transition to electronic processes would “eliminate delays in official correspondence and promote faster decision-making in government business”.

(NAN)