The Federal Government says it will digitalise the operations of the Federal Civil Service in 2016 to forestall altering of vital documents by some officials. The acting Head of the Civil Service (HOS) of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, stated this on Wednesday in Abuja, when she paid an unscheduled visit to some Ministries and Government Agencies.

 
She said the visit was to monitor the level of staff punctuality to duty, especially after the Christmas holidays.

 
“It was necessary for me to come round today with some of my permanent secretaries when I observed the scantiness in some offices after the Christmas holidays. “The essence is to find out what is really happening,’’ the acting HOS said.

 
She said that though some officials were on leave but some were playing truancy, adding that every issue of truancy in the service would be looked into. The acting HOS, however, commended officials in the Ministries of Communication Technology, Power and Aviation who were punctual, adding that they would be considered for award.

 
One of such officials, Mr Ebel Phillips in the Ministry of Power, while speaking with the acting HOS, said staff of the ministry had the culture of coming early to work. According to him, the ministry has a disciplinary department that ensures that staff adhere to its rules and regulations. Oyo-Ita also took the opportunity to inspect the attendant register of most of the ministries she visited.

 
She, however, said that it was regrettable that staff records and other important information in the service were still being kept in files, adding that such would no longer be tolerated. “The system whereby records of civil servants are kept just anyhow in piles of files in registries which could get eaten up by rodents cannot continue in 2016.

 
“During my tenure, the records and document management of the Federal Civil Service will be fully automated,’’ she said. She added that this would help address issues of ghost workers and the changing of official records at will by some officials. She said that automation of records would also prevent officials from removing disciplinary documents from their files, adding that whatever was automated could not be tempered with.

 
Oyo-Ita added that the service was already working with its National Record Centre to ensure the full automation of records in the service. “Already we have a programme on the electronic management system that will be rolled out next year and we are also going to develop an archival system and a soft ware for that,’’ she said.

 
She stated that the office of the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, would drive the programme. She said that human resource software would also be developed in 2016 to address fully issues of ghost workers in the second phase of the Integrated Personnel and Pay Role Information System (IPPIS).

 
Mr Yemi Adelakun, the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties who was in the HOS entourage, said civil servants would be adequately compensated in 2016. “A lot of programmes would be evolved in 2016 to motivate civil servants. “Your target most however be met after which you will be compensated,’’ he said.

Credit : Vanguard