Retiring Director Seeks Pension Reform, Employment Review For Civil Service

Retiring director of Engineering Management Services at the Ministry of Works, Engr. Bukar Muhammad, wants a review of civil service pension administration and employment process.
He spoke at the valedictory ceremony on his exit from the civil service after 31 years of meritorious service on Monday in Abuja.

He said pensions should be given upon retirement in bulk without the bureaucracies that follow it’s processing. He lamented the uncertainties that follow retirement due to bureaucratic processes.

“A retired officer now, in my own case, I’ll start thinking of how possible, I mean, how easy am I going to access my pension? And the way the constitution is designed, that I should get some certain per cent, then thereafter, the other per cent will be spread over time and all that. So, at some point, we, the retirees, we felt it is not proper.

“What is due to me, give it to me. Let me go and manage my life. But if there’s a better way that you are thinking, let me be part of this decision you are trying to reach for me, so that we’ll sit down and come up with a decision or with a way forward.

The pension, it needs to be reformed. Secondly, the promotion, the promotion style needs to be improved,” he said.

He said while the service has transformed for the better, its recruitment process needs to be strengthened.

“And then, the method of incoming, that’s employing, employment. Lately, we discovered that employment letters just come out from nowhere. So the proper thing should be done. You know, meritocracy. Get people that merit the position that you’re advertising. Then, they’ll raise this country to a level, to have better level.”

Engr. Bukar also called for the strengthening of promotion process in the civil service to promote transparency.

He noted that the policy of ordering contractors to site without proper mobilisation was hampering rowth “ I can say about 80% to 90% of what’s happening now is good for the service, for the engineering. But, like 15%, it still needs to be, you know,worked upon, looked into, look at what is happening recently, there’s no enough, no sufficient funds. A contractor would go to site, do what he’s supposed to do, but then, when it comes to paying him, you see, foot will start dragging. He will not get his fee or his payment as at when due. I know most of these contractors pick loans from the bank, and the banks, they don’t consider anything. They charge the interest per day. So, if the time for which you are to refund that loan is up, and you’re going more and more, and government did not give you to settle them, they are charging you more. At a point, there’s no profit. So, this situation now is making contractors lose interest in government jobs entirely. This is bad for the system.”

He charged young civil servants to be more dedicated, put in their time, and also ensure self-development. “You don’t just take up an office and sit. Look for ways to improve yourself, improve your career, improve. And by this improvement, you’re not improving yourself. You’re improving the entire nation.”