C’ttee on public service proposes Foreign Service Commission

By Hassan Haruna Ginsau

The committee on public service has recommended the creation of a Foreign Service commission and a separate foreign service.

The commission is to be headed by a chairman and made up of six permanent commissioners representing the six geo-political zones, membership of which will include former ambassadors, a person of permanent secretary status as secretary and three or four directorates.

The deputy chairman, Ambassador Adamu Aliyu made this known during the committee’s sitting yesterday whereby he explained that the committee had accepted that there is the need for a Foreign Service commission because this issue had been dragging on for many years now, and they (the Foreign Service) had argued that the police and so on have their own commissions.

The chairman of the committee, Engineer Ebele Okeke while announcing the proposal pointed out the need for the commission to be lean, thus the small number of six permanent commissioners

“The committee has approved a separate foreign service, and a Foreign Service commission. The board of the Foreign Service commission should be lean, of not more than six members,” said Okeke.

The committee also reached certain decisions regarding the Federal civil service commission following the visit of the commission’s chairman, Deaconess Joan Ayo on Wednesday.

The committee noted that the commission should be well funded, to stand by its rules and ethics, provide a desk officer to handle issues relating to Persons living with disabilities, and provide brail question papers for those disabled persons.

The committee also hosted the Chairman, National assembly service commission, Dr Adamu Muhammad Fika, who was represented by Elder Stephen Yepwi.

The committee following the presentation by the chairman of the commission tasked the commission to ensure a synergy between the National assembly service commission and the Federal civil service commission. It also noted that the commission to regulate the tenure and salaries of aides and staff of the commission.

The issue of increasing the retirement age of civil servants from 30 to 35 which was previously debated was eventually postponed by the commission, to be raised following the resumption of plenary.