Why I retired a Permanent Secretary –Gov. Umahi

The Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, said on Tuesday he retired a permanent secretary in the state’s civil service prematurely because of the official’s inability to calculate workers’ gratuities.

He stated this while swearing in new permanent secretaries and members of the state’s Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission.

The governor said: “The deputy governor asked me to reverse the decision, but I declined and that was his only request that I rejected in the eight years that we have been together.

“You can still give me the elements which make up the gratuity even if you don’t know how to calculate it.”

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Umahi, however, said he might reverse the decision and urged the newly sworn-in officials to read widely; be prudent and magnify their offices.

The governor noted that the issue of civil servants’ gratuity in the state was worrisome.

He added: “We have raised a standard in Ebonyi that makes us compete with the best in the world. Anyone who fails to meet the standard will be asked whether or not he comes from Ebonyi.

“Set examinations for yourselves on performance because Ebonyi should not be your limits in exposure and proficiency. The theory that helped me, which should also help you, is to regard public duties or services as your personal business.”