Service salary reviews, whichever is earlier!’ Although this Constitutional provision is very clear and unambiguous, the truth is that government has never complied with it. It is very sad as the plight and agony of pensioners are frightening.
Annual Leave
It is quite important to mention this age old practice of a worker going on leave once a year. In our days in the service, before the beginning of the New Year, a leave roster is prepared and drawn up for use and strict implementation of all and sundry. Unfortunately, a sad phenomenon is rearing its ugly head in the service and the entire country where officers now work endlessly through out the year without sparing any time to take time out of the job and go and enjoy their annual leave.
This ugly trend is precipitated by greed and other unwholesome practice where an officer who is on a lucrative schedule refuses permanently to vacate his seat for a single moment because, as they now say in the service, “every day is precious” and you cannot afford to miss the ensuing goodies.
I have to state that this is a very dangerous trend in the current practice of officers in the Civil Service and other sectors of the economy. Some even now talk of accumulated leave that is usually converted to cash payment in due course.
I wish to relate a personal experience. As you are aware, I was the immediate past Chairman, Edo State Local Government Service Commission, Benin City. When my Commission noticed the high mortality rate usually arising from sudden death experienced by Heads of Local Government Administration (HOLGA) which is usually due to stress at work and pressure from over work, my.
Commission decided to draw up a mandatory leave roster for all staff of the Unified Local
Government Service in Edo State for compulsory implementation and compliance by all staff. With that simple decision and strict implementation, by the Commission, to the happiness of everybody, the commission was able to reduce drastically the incidence of sudden and premature death in the Service.
In this connection, I urge you all to ensure that at least once a year you go on leave and take time off your usually busy schedule to relax and unwind. This advice is given with all sense of maturity, experience and responsibility as it is usually said that “a stitch in time saves nine”.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is necessary to indicate what this paper attempted to do by highlighting the salient issues of Public Administration as a tool in governance. The mastery of these administrative tools will accelerate the tempo of development. We need to have at the back of our minds that the essence of administration is to ensure efficient and effective delivery of Public Service and improve the quality of life of our people and guarantee the greatest good for the greatest number of the citizenry.
• Finally, this paper ends by stating the simple but realistic philosophy of Diosadado Macapagal, former President of The Philippines, and father of President Gloria Arroyo of The Philippines “Do what is good, do what is right and God will take care of the rest.”
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