Nigeria Content Online

Following their poor performance at the
interview arranged for their promotion, some local government officials
in Oyo State have been demoted.

Chairman of the state local government
service, Kola Gbadamosi, said the affected workers, who were in grade
level 13, were examined for promotion to the position of administration
staff, but had to be demoted to level 07 because of their dismal
performance at the interview.

He said though they were well aware of
the implication of not performing to the expectation before taking the
test, the demoted officers still went ahead to try their luck.

According to him, the exercise was carried out to raise the standard of the state local government service.

Mr. Gbadamosi explained that among the
number that took the interview, only 30 percent failed, adding that
they still have the opportunity to re-sit next year.

He posited that since about 70 percent
of the staff who took the examination passed and were promoted, it
shows that the intelligent quotient of the workers is high.

“On the whole, about 4,000 local
government staff on level 06 upwards adjudged to be suitably qualified
for promotion, were promoted to the next ranks/posts and salary grade
levels in the various cadres in the local government service in the
state,” he said.

Optimum productivity

On conformity to the rules guiding
their job, the chairman said members of the commission paid unscheduled
visits to some of the local government secretariat to see how well the
staff do their work according to the rules, saying appropriate
sanctions have been imposed on some of the workers who were found
wanting in the area.

Training in reputable tertiary
institutions, he said, have been approved for a number of workers under
the care of the commission, adding that the move became necessary to
ensure optimum productivity. Such an effort was also replicated for the
directors of personnel management and finance, who were sent abroad for
further requisite trainings.

He said the commission is facing the
challenge of lack of funds to engage in training and capacity building
for sub-professional and core-professional staff of the commission,
while the available accommodation for its secretariat staff remains
inadequate.