From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The New Era for Sustainable Leadership and Accountability Initiative (NESLAI) has expressed displeasure over the proposed reduction of civil servants salaries by the Federal Government, saying that it is inhuman.
Executive Director NESLAI, Edwin Olorunfemi while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Monday added that the salaries and allowances of the political class should rather be the ones to be reduced.
Olorunfemi further explained that looking at the cost of living these days most civil servants are underpaid because most of them can’t properly provide for their homes through their monthly payments.
He said,” they should consider the allowances of the politicians instead of trying to reduce that of the civil servants which is not even enough compared to the cost of living in the country today.”
Olorunfemi added that for the country to yield increased productivity, selection of permanent secretaries should be based on merit and experiences instead of mare examination which is classified with fraud.
He stated that apart from corrupt practices involved in the examination method,not everyone who wrote well could practicalise what they have written, through exhibition of good leadership.
“Further Findings also revealed that the selection examinations processes in time past were laden with fraud, corruption and also enmeshed in all sort of malpractices, as monies were alleged to have usually changed hands between the examiners and the desperate candidates in order to boost their scores believing that they stand a better chance with higher scores.
” Moreover, judging that in a time like this whereby government is considering cutting down cost of governance, whereas lots of money is required for the conduct of examinations, wisdom dictates that we jettison the idea of conducting examinations but rather, set up a committee and invite prospective candidates for a one on one interactive session where their antecedence will be properly scrutinised and merit given to those who deserves it, he said.