Edo transformation project kicks off Nov. 1

To transform its civil and public service into a model for socio-economic and infrastructure development in Africa, the Edo State Government is rolling out reforms that would enable public and civil servants, as well as citizens, to drive its Making Edo Great Again (MEGA) agenda.

This was disclosed by the Special Adviser, Strategy, Policy, Project and Performance Management, Mrs. Sarah Esangbedo Ajose-Adeogun, during a meeting with Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries (PS) and Directors of Ministries to formalise modalities to drive the transformation process, held at the Government House, Benin City, Edo State.

She said the meeting was to familiarise the participants with the leadership expectations of the commissioners, permanent secretaries and directors in driving the transition process, as the operationalisation of the ‘to-be’ structure in the state has been set for November 1, 2021.

Ajose-Adeogun said the Edo State Civil/Public Service Transformation and Enhancement Program (EDOSTEP) is aimed at making the state a model for sub-nationals in Africa as a strategic driver for economic viability, social and infrastructural development.

On his part, the Edo State Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa Esq., said the civil service transformation and enhancement project will build a modern public service where efficiency, productivity and service delivery are the hallmark.

According to him, “Public and civil servants are change agents; therefore they need to drive the MEGA agenda to the letter. They are to assist the commissioners in doing their job. Evaluation and promotion would be carried out based on performance on the job.”

Meanwhile, With increasing efforts by the government to vaccinate more Edo residents with the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines, the state has continued to record a decline in the number of confirmed cases, recording no new cases in the last 72 hours.

Head of Edo State COVID-19 Case Management, Dr. Osagie Ebomwonyi, disclosed this during the daily virtual meeting of the State COVID-19 Taskforce, chaired by Governor Godwin Obaseki.

Ebomwonyi said the state also confirmed the death of one more person from the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), urging residents to endeavour to get the full dose of COVID-19 vaccination in order to get protection against the virus.

According to him, “Our effort at vaccinating the majority of Edo citizens with the COVID-19 vaccines is already yielding positive gains as infections from the virus have continued to reduce.

“In the last 72 hours, we recorded no COVID-19 infection from the 420 samples collected within the 72-hour timeframe, with nine discharges and a test positivity rate of zero percent. We also confirmed another COVID-19-related death, involving a 65-year-old female reported from ISTH.”

Noting that the state has intensified the vaccination of more residents to contain the pandemic, protect citizens and achieve herd immunity against the virus, the case manager said the state’s vaccination team is visiting markets in the metropolis, where mobilization and sensitization is being done to increase vaccine uptake.

“To sustain the gains recorded in the fight against this common enemy of mankind, it is necessary for all citizens to get vaccinated and ensure strict compliance with non-pharmaceutical interventions against the spread of the disease. This will ensure that Edo people are safe and protected from the deadly pandemic,” he stated.

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