The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to recognise and reward excellence, innovation, and dedication in the Civil Service.

Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HOCS) said this on Thursday at a Workshop on Rewards and Recognition Selection System, organised by her office in Abuja.

She said the Federal Government in collaboration with AIG Imoukhuede Foundation, will continue the award of a total sum of  N500,000.

The workshop was organised for Directors of Human Resources Management, Deputy Directors in charge of Staff Welfare in MDAs and other facilitators.

Represented by Mr Mahmud Kambari, Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare, office of the HOCSF, Yemi-Esan said the award would be annually and thanked the private sector for the collaboration to raise the hope of civil servants.

“The OHCSF is committed to upholding the highest standards in implementing the Scheme with an overall objective of recognising and rewarding excellence, innovation, and dedication in the Civil Service.

“At this juncture, I must recognise the unflinching support and partnership of some Private Sector Organisations such as AIG Imoukhuede Foundation, which established an endowment fund of N500, 000.00 each for awardees annually.

“And the Consortium of Insurance Companies that donated a brand new GAC Car to the Star awardee at the 2022 Civil Service Week Awards ceremony, ” she said.

She advised participants to imbibe the culture of fairness and transparency in the selection process which according to her, is critical for ensuring successful implementation of the ‘Rewarding and Recognition System (RRS)’.

The HOS said the decision to organise such a workshop was to strengthen the implementation of the scheme in the Federal Civil Service for transparency, merit and uniformity in the selection process.

“The programme so far has been impressive, however, there is need to improve the selection process to ensure standardisation, hence, the reason for this workshop, ” she explained.

Contributing, Khadijat Akewushola, Programme Associate, who represented AIG Imoukhuede Foundation, expressed the foundation’s readiness to continue in its partnership with the office of the HOCSF.

She said that the collaboration was meant to encourage effective service and the standardisation of the entire public service.

“The foundation has always supported the office of the HOCSF in the implementation of Federal Civil Service Strategy Implementation Plan (FCSSIP 2021-2025), ” she said.

Mr Jacob Haastrup, who presented a paper on ‘Effective  Coaching/Mentorship Panacea for Sustainable Transformation of the Public Service’, lauded Yemi-Esan for introducing innovative programmes to elevate the nation’s public service.

According to Haastrup, the workshop focuses on ways to motivate and recognise civil servants who are outstanding and productive in their services.

The office of the HOCSF, AIG Imoukhuede Foundation, Consortium of Insurance Companies, awarded 43 outstanding workers with N500,000.00 each in 2022. (NAN)