Delta Senior Civil Servants Lambast State Govt Over Chaotic Screening Exercise

Senior civil servants, especially those on level 15 and 17 in Delta State are lamenting the process of the screening exercise aimed at weeding out over-aged and age-falsifying civil servants.

The exercise was described as chaotic as many officers had to wait overnight at the headquarters of the civil service commission in Asaba, the state capital, while others lodged in hotels due to poor coordination of the exercise.

The situation has prompted calls on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to intervene immediately and direct the chairman of the Civil Service Commission, Chief Roseline Amioku, to suspend the exercise and initiate a proper review.

The officers were seen sorting out scattered files in a desperate attempt to locate their names and avoid being forcibly retired by the Civil Service Commission. (CSC)

The files, rather than being properly sorted according to ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), were dumped indiscriminately within the office premises.

The situation has left most of the senior officers stranded while staff at the Office of the Head of Service (Hos) are said to be exploiting the confusion by demanding money to assist in locating files.

The commission is now under fire as many are calling it a failure on the part of the head of service to implement a humane and well-coordinated process.

The chaotic situation has drawn sharp criticism from senior officers and observers over the handling of the process, lamenting that the exercise has left scores of them stranded, frustrated and subjected to indignity at the hands of the commission.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Delta State Civil Service Commission, Joy Sylvester, stated that the exercise is strictly internal and not meant for public engagement.

According to her, the commission is still in the early stages of the process, describing it as a routine in-house method.

Addressing the issue of missing files, the PRO clarified that the responsibility lies with the respective offices of the affected workers.

“We just started the exercise,  it’s still ongoing, and whatever issues that arise, we will review them at the end,” she assured