The Civil Service rules abhors playing politics with the system especially, in terms of promotion. In fact doing so is considered a taboo itself.
It takes just O’ Level knowledge of Government to know that one of the characteristics of a civil servant is non partisanship, that is not associating with anything politics.
Elevation of civil servants from one position to the other should strictly by merit. Promotions are done according to years of service in line with one’s record of experience of in a particular ministry.
But as things begin to change from what it is before to what is obtainable now, the civil service was not left out of the ugly trend as politics is directly or indirectly eclipsing civil service rules. This appears to be the case in the Imo State civil service under the current Head Of Service, HOS, Barr Ucheoma.
From Nigeria Newspoint investigation, it may be necessary to ask whether the current HOS is tactically deploying every means towards ensuring that an Okigwe person succeeds him.
Nigeria Newspoint investigations further indicates that Ucheoma hails from Obowo Local Government Area in Okigwe Zone, which prompts questions as to why another Okigwe man should succeed the current head of service who is from Okigwe Zone, to the detriment of Orlu and Owerri zones.
This singular move have raised dust and caused many tongues to question the rationality behind the move.
Any move for anotger Okigwe man to succeed the current head of service from the same zone, tends to truncate civil service rules.
It is therefore, unacceptable to bring politics into the choice of who becomes the successor to the current Head Of Service against laid down rules and aged- long principles of the civil service; the same process that produced the current HOS.
Anyone who has been fortunate enough to rise to the pinnacle of the civil service, should not be seen to be doing anything capable of running the service down due to parochial interest.
The choice of the next Head of Service of the Imo State, should be allowed to run its natural course to determine. This remains a sure way of enthroning merit and fairness in the state’s civil service.
NIGERIA NEWSPOINT
