The Presidential Committee on the review of the Scheme of Service for Local Government Employees in Nigeria Friday submitted its report recommending that the entry point for both the Veterinary and Medical Doctors personnel are henceforth, to be raised from the current grade level 09 to grade levels 12.

 

It also advocated for the retention of the post of Head of Local Government Administration but to be placed on consolidated salary structure as may be determined by the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission.

 

The Chairman of the Committee, Umar Ambursa, at the weekend in Abuja said, ‘’The draft review edition of the scheme of service for local government employees in Nigeria presented today is a product of a robust review exercise, it is a marked improvement of the 2006 edition in many respect.”

 

According to Ambursa, it is the genuine expectations of the Review Committee that the revised edition will provide the much needed impact as well as the enhancement of the ability and capability of local government in Nigeria to attract and retain highly skilled manpower. 

 

‘’This is the one of the surest ways to make local government better able to deliver service effectively for sustainable development at the grassroots level of governance,’’ he noted.

 

The Chairman, who added that the committee was officially set-up on April 28, 2014 by the Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-government Affairs, was mandated to work along the following terms of reference. ‘’To review the current scheme of service (2006 edition) of local government employees in Nigeria; to liaise with the establishment department (OHCSF), to incorporate approved cadres in the scheme of service and to produce a draft copy of the scheme of service for local government employees in Nigeria.’’

 

Other highlights of the committee’s report dwelt on an objective criteria of filling of vacancies for the post of Directors and other officers, the creation of additional new cadres, while the creation of two new departments of Environmental Health out of the current Primary Health Care department as the revenue department out of the existing finance and supply department was similarly advocated.

 

Receiving the report on behalf of the Federal Government, the Minister of Special Duty and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, said the recommendation for raising the entry point of local government doctors from grades level 09 to 12 is aimed at ensuring the growth of the Local government sector.

 

By Kabiru-Turaki

Guardian