Imo commences computer training of 6,000 civil servants, others

• Establishes lounge for workers

The Imo State government has commenced computer training for about 6,000 civil servants. This is to ensure that all the workers in its employ in all the 13 ministries are given broad-based computer literacy education and to implement paperless policy in the civil service.

Also, a welfare-based lounge has been established by the state government at the secretariat complex for all the categories of the civil servants in the state.

The Imo State Head of Service, Caslistus Ekenze, told The Guardian in a chat on Monday in Owerri, said the training programme commenced at the Imo Computer Training Institute, Secretariat Complex, Port Harcourt Road, Owerri, late last year, adding that about 80 first batch of 80 have passed out.

Ekenze, said the institute is equipped with 100 sophisticated computers to provide all the civil servants with all the necessary computer training.
According to him, the public servants, numbering more than 50,000 in the 41 parastatals would benefit from the programme after the civil servants, who are expected to have undergone the training in full by the end of the year.

His words: ‘’I am the head of Service, in charge of all public and civil services, not only civil service. The state government has set up sophiscated Computer Training Institue , both hard and soft wares, inclusive. Training of broad- based has commenced, comprising all the Permanent Secretaries, Directors and all the staff down the line- from levels 6, 7, 8 to 16 , 17.

Everybody is involved. The essence is to re-engineer the civil service and to bring about a water ground for new E- governance paperless government. We have 13 ministries and 41 parastatals. There are 6,000 civil servants and over 50,000 public servants in the state.’’

He continued: ‘’We are expecting by the end of 2017, about 75 per cent of all the Civil Servants would have been computer literate and the state will be set to ernthrench E- governance which meets current International Best Practice.

‘’The institute has capacity of 100 computers. The Civil Servants are trained in streams. The first batch of about 80 civil servants have passed out in October 2016. It is a continuous process. Top echelon in the civil service are also undergoing training.’’

On the policy of the state government to approve three days of work period (Monday -Wednesday) for civil servants in the week to work and utilize two days (Thursday and Friday), excluding those on essential duties, to carry out farm and trading activities, Ekenze said the governor, Rochas Okorocha, with members of the State Executive Council, thought ‘’outside the box’’ to assist civil servants have better means of enhancing their economic status and over come the economic recession, and even plan them on retirement. Necessary circulars, he said, were issued accordingly to that effect, stressing that the policy had been legalized by that.

He said: ‘’It does not run contrary to the constitutional arrangement. The governor thinks outside the box, using style of administration. We cannot do thesame old thing without results. The motive is to have fall-back-to after retirement. It is government policy guided by circular’’

He said all the allowances due to the workers are in tacked, noting that all the agreed funds are made available as required.