Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Didi Esther Walson-Jack, on Monday, called for more collaboration with the media to give adequate publicity to the ongoing reforms in the Federal Civil Service.
She spoke during the Meet and Greet cocktail organized for media representatives in her office in Abuja.
Walson-Jack thanked the media for all the past support given to the office and the support since she assumed office as the HCSF.
Her words: “I want to start by thanking each and every one of you for honouring this invitation. I must say that this is not your regular meeting, and we purposely designed this meeting ‘Meet and Greet’ cocktail so that we can have one on one interaction. I hope we have succeeded in doing that. Let me also go ahead and thank you for all the support you have given to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation in the years past.
“I know that this office has always been supported by the media, and I can attest to it because I was also in this office from 2015 and then came back to this office 2017 till 2019. So I know that the fourth estate of the Realm has always supported this office. I would, therefore, like to go on and thank you for the support you have given us, especially on my announcement as the head of the civil service of the Federation. And that support has continued up to date.
“We therefore thought it fit that we should organize this event to put faces to the names and to meet with you, one on one, interact with you, just to tighten, strengthen the bond that this office has with the media. Definitely, this will not be the last. We will have another fora to interact with you. I would like to say thank you for being here today.
“You will recall that since we assume the office, we have had several programms and activities, and I sincerely appreciate you all for having supported us, reporting our activities, our programms, and giving it the necessary publicity for proper dissemination to the citizens of Nigeria.
“We want to request that you collaborate more with us. We are asking that the friendship, the partnership, goes beyond what it is now, to ensure that the reforms which this office is driving gets the full publicity it requires, because it requires that all hands should be on deck.
“You will recall that the Office has the federal civil service strategy and implementation plan 2021 to 2025, and that is the plan that we are still driving,” the HCSF stated.
The major highlight of the event was the re-introduction of the civil service anthem for workers in the Federal Civil Service.
According to Walson-Jack, the anthem aims to encourage civil servants and drive reforms in the service.
Recall that the anthem was initially introduced in 2018. further noted that the office under her tenure has resolved to bring on board creativity and innovation to accelerate the plan.
“And so the six pillars which represent the reforms, the ongoing reforms, require adequate coverage so that the implementation can be fast tracked, and so that this office, and indeed the Federal Civil Service delivers on the administration’s renewed hope Agenda.”
In addition, she also appreciated President Bola Tinubu for his support to her office, especially regarding the ongoing reform.
She said: “We have quite a few things we are working on, and in the fullness of time, we will need you know as the media what we have been able to achieve.
“But I must say what we are actually looking forward to is our 100 days in office. We are working on several things but I beg to share with you today, one initiative which we have brought to bear and very soon we will actually show you a clip and we hope you will join us in singing our federal civil service anthem.
“The anthem has been reintroduced to drive the reform. It is expected that the anthem will be sung by all civil and public servants and indeed Nigerians.
“And so that epic culture is what we are hoping that the anthem will create and it will be something the civil servants will actually exemplify, that every civil servant will be efficient, productive, incorruptible, and citizen centered.”
She also urged the media to help the office to popularize the anthem, adding “so that every nook and cranny of Nigeria will play this anthem. We need to imbibe the words, and we need to live it.”
Apart from going round to speak with the media representatives at the event, the high point of the cocktail meeting was the re-introduction and singing of the Federal Civil Service anthem.
Among those who attended the cocktail meeting were permanent secretaries, directors, and staff of the OHCSF.
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