Improve on Your Work Ethics – Asagba of Asaba Charges Nigerian Workers 

Civil and public servants in the country have been challenged to improve on their work ethics and take ownership of their duties in order to add value to the civil/public service.

The Asagba of Asaba, His Royal Majesty, Prof Epiphany Azinge, SAN, OON, FNIALS; gave the charge when the Executive of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Delta State branch, paid him a courtesy visit.

Asagba Prof Azinge noted that the work of senior civil servants was very crucial and fundamental, describing them as critical stakeholders in the public space of the country, around whom a lot revolved expectedly as role models to the junior ones in service, who ordinarily would look up to them for direction, guidance and advice.

He emphasized that much was also expected of them in terms of expertise, experience, and ensuring that policy issues or matters needing serious implementation were given the attention they deserved. 

The highly revered traditional ruler said: “I usually challenge civil servants and public servants on the issue of work ethics. For me it’s something I spent my greater part of the last five years before ascending the throne. I devoted my time to leading advocacy all over the country at my own expense because my experience in service clearly indicates that work ethics of the average civil servant is nothing to write home about.

“I challenge you to change the mindset and the narrative in terms of not being punctual to duty, not being at your duty posts till the close of work, It’s always easy for people to want to joint the civil service, but the typical Nigerian is not prepared to offer service. It’s like I have secured this, let me now pursue other things. 

“Mark you, I’m not opposed to augmenting whatever you are earning, because may be the income is not enough. But in all good conscience you must meritoriously serve your fatherland.

And one thing I must tell you is that if you are doing something you are learning, and you will never know until the time comes for you to apply what you have learnt. 

“Immediately I became Special Adviser to the then Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Chief Clement Akpamgbo; I was writing speeches for everybody that mattered. I wrote for Presidents, starting from IBB, among others, and today I count myself as one of the best speech writers in the country because I stayed and I learnt. Today I can sit down and write my speech, I don’t need anybody to write speeches for me.

“When you apply yourself you learn, and that’s my advice to you. Apply yourself, don’t run away because you never can tell when it will stand you in a good stead. Develop work ethics and shun the idea of “Na my Papa Work”? It is your father’s work. The reward may not be there as you would expect, but it is service to your people; service to your fatherland.

“Do the bit you can. It is totally antithetical for you to answer Comrade; for you to think you can bargain; for you to think you can negotiate; for you to think you can be a pressure group when on the other hand you are not doing your job. It is not acceptable, do your bit and you can then go to government to bargain as a pressure group, as a union, as the case may be.

“So it is important we imbibe work ethics in Nigeria. I want to urge you, take that as a message back to your respective offices. Improve on your work ethics, go to work early, stay till the closing time, discipline must never be compromised on the alter of any other thing.

“If you do that, you will imbibe all those attributes, you will demonstrate leadership, you will be preparing yourselves to be Permanent Secretaries, Directors and what have you. Unless you show signs of leadership, you may never be called to become a leader in the real sense of it”.

Earlier, the leader of the delegation and Chairman of ASCSN, Delta State branch, Comrade Ogbueshi Henry Okafor; said the visit was to formerly introduce the new leadership of the Association to the Asagba and receive his royal blessings.

Comrade Okafor said membership of the Association comprised of civil servants from Salary Grade Level and above, adding that the Union had remained a founding affiliate of the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

He described members of his Executive as highly respected senior civil servants in their various offices, declaring that pushing for the welfare of members remained a top priority of the Association.

The labour leader commended Nna Agu for working hard to maintain peace in Asaba, which he noted civil servants, especially those in the state capital, were benefitting from and solicited his prayers and support for the Union at all times.