From Yakubu Wuyep, Jos
The Office of the Head of Civil Service, Plateau State, has successfully defended its 2027 budget appropriation before the Special Budget Committee.
The Head of Service, Mr. Stephen Pam Gadong, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Labour Relations, Housing and Asset Management, Mr. Peter Lamba Bot, described the exercise as rigorous.
”The exercise was a bit rigorous and that was expected because the Office of the Head of Service has several mandates that covers catering for the entire affairs of all workers, concerning their office accommodations and also residential accommodation in terms of housing,” Bot said.
According to him, the office also handles labour relations, workers’ progression, recruitment, discipline, welfare and general administration of the civil service, which he described as the engine room of government.
He said discussions during the defence centered on provision of office accommodation, provision of housing units, progression of workers, annual increments and disciplinary procedures.
”The core of the discussion has been around what His Excellency has targeted as the renovation of the State Secretariat and also the provision of good housing units for workers,” he added.
Bot disclosed that the office is also looking at recruitment to address manpower gaps across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
”There is a huge gap in the civil service where there is a shortfall in many MDAs and therefore the Office of the Head of Service has also looked at ways to project what will be needed as a figure to recruit this year and also the year to come,” he said.
On labour matters, the Permanent Secretary said the state is proactive on issues around the new minimum wage and has commenced implementation of the new Employment Action Plan.
”In the last three weeks, there was a training on the Employment Action Plan that the Plateau State Government has started. It is a huge development where the state government is going to set up units to implement the action plan on unemployment deduced from the new Employment Policy of 2025 released by the Federal Government,” he said.
Commenting on the recent awards received by Governor Caleb Mutfwang from labour unions, Bot said the awards reflect the governor’s cordial relationship with workers and his commitment to their welfare.
He said in the last three weeks, the governor was honoured by the Plateau State Civil Service Junior Workers Union, and also by the national body of the Amalgamated Workers’ Union, which gave awards to only two governors in the country – Kano and Plateau.
”The national body of the civil service union also gave His Excellency, Mr Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, another award alongside the President, the Minister of Aviation and the Governor of Katsina State for their performance as states that are cordially working with labour and have tried to improve on their workers’ welfare,” he said.
He noted that it is difficult for labour to give awards, and the fact that the governor has received such awards “from left, right and centre” shows how cordial the relationship has been.
”It’s not that all has been rosy, but at least we are doing better than ever before,” he said.
On priority areas for 2027, Bot said the office will focus on huge improvement in workers’ welfare, in line with the interest of Governor Mutfwang.
”The priority area is basically that the Office of the Head of Service will be responsible for huge improvement in the workers’ welfare. If you look at the budget, you will see a lot of provision for not only office accommodation for workers but also in terms of our personnel, there has been a huge projection for our workforce population,” he said.