By CHARLES IWUOHA

Ahead of August 3 resumption of duty, after four months of lockdown, the Enugu State Government has reminded all civil servants in the state of the need to adhere strictly to the laid down preventive measures for containment of the spread of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).

The reminder was made by the state’s acting Head of Service, Mr. Ken Chukwuegbo, when he joined the Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Ministerial Affairs, Hon. Mrs. Mabel Agbo, and the Chairman, State Civil Service Commission, Chief Martin Ugada, to supervise the decontamination and fumigation of the State Secretariat complex and other offices, ahead of resumption of work on August 3.

Chukwuegbo, who applauded the sustained commitment of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi towards the wellbeing and safety of the workers, disclosed that “the desk officers from the office of the Head of Service have been mandated to ensure strict compliance in addition to what the Permanent Secretaries of the MDAs will be doing from Monday, the 3rd of August”.

Describing the decontamination exercise as a welcome development, the acting Head of Service also reminded the workers “that on Monday the 3rd of August they should walk into their offices with their face masks and maintain physical and social distancing as well as adhere to other precautionary measures as listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)”.

Speaking further he said: “They (workers) should not loiter around; they should remain in their offices and work; they should not move from one office to another, so that together we can have a safe environment and stay safe.”

Chukwuegbo, on behalf of the workers of Enugu State, appreciated Ugwuanyi, who he described as “the workers’ friendly governor” for paying their salaries regularly even when they are at home” as well as pensions and gratuities of retired workers of the state.

Earlier in her speech, the Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Ministerial Affairs, Hon. Mrs. Agbo, explained that the decontamination/fumigation exercise was approved by the governor to create a safe environment for the civil servants as they resume work on August 3.

She added that the exercise will eliminate reptiles and rodents that must have invaded the offices during the lockdown as well as prevent the spread of COVID-19, saying: “Enugu State is blessed to have a Governor in the person of His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who cares for the indigenes and residents of the state by protective means.”

Stressing that the workforce is a veritable organ of government with which it achieves its economic goals, the Chairman of the State Civil Service Commission, Chief Ugada, lauded the governor’s sensibility and wise counsel that the State Secretariat should be decontaminated and fumigated for the safety of the workers and visitors.

On his part, the State Chief Fire Officer, Engr. Okwudiri Ohaa, pointed out that the state government is not only decontaminating the state secretariat but “is equally fumigating it by adding all those insecticides that can kill reptiles and mosquitoes”.

Engr. Ohaa, who handed over 600 Disinfectant Hand Sprayers to Hon. Mrs. Agbo, for distribution to offices as approved by the governor, advised the workers to stay safe and obey all the laid down COVID-19 protocol as adopted by WHO and NCDC.

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