President Muhammadu Buhari has conferred the Presidential Merit Award on a civil servant, Umar Tsoho, for refusing to cooperate with some contractors in suppressing vital information with promises of kind gratification, thereby saving the country a loss of N90 billion on the Ajaokuta steel project.
Umar was one of the 10 officers who received the Presidential Public Service Merit award Thursday at the 2022 Civil Service Day Commemoration held at the Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja for demonstrating high level of commitment and dedication to duty.
The steel officer, who was on the sub-committee on Ajaokuta Project Presidential Implementation Committee, which dealt with the liabilities of the Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited was honoured for considering the interest of the Ministry of Mines and the ethics of service by presenting DMO Bond Settlement Letters to the Sub-Committee which saved the country the huge loss.
According to President Buhari, his action is in line with his administration’s anti-corruption crusade.
Another awardee, Mrs Cordelia Otuya, who is the Chief Legal Officer, Ministry of Education, was honour we for successfully obtaining over 50 court judgments in favour of the ministry with two of such judgements saving the ministry the payment of judgement debts amounting to N1.5 billion respectively.
The President, who was represented by the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Bello, also said his administration was working towards improving the value proposition of the civil service by setting up the cresidential Committee on salaries to harmonise salaries service-wide.
Buhari expressed hope that the outcome of the committee’s work would provide the impetus for an upward review of the salaries of deserving civil servants, with the recent increase of the duty tour allowance of all civil servants as a starting point.
He also launched the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021-2025 that was approved by the Federal Executive Council in December, 2021 and a Culture Change Video.