The newly appointed Head of Service in Enugu State, Dr. Godwin Anigbo, has emphasized the need for all civil servants to fully embrace e-governance, digital platforms, and a results-oriented work culture.
Speaking to journalists on Friday in Enugu after addressing staff under his office, Anigbo outlined a shift from traditional bureaucratic practices to a modern, tech-driven civil service system.
In line with Governor Peter Mbah’s vision for digital transformation, Anigbo said: “All civil servants must migrate from paper to paperless services using real-time digital official communication platforms.”
According to him, the new structure will ensure that “all services to be rendered to the people will be digitalised, seamless and devoid of human contact as much as possible, only through a click of digital buttons.”
To support this transition, Anigbo revealed that the civil service is already collaborating with the Enugu State SME Centres to train staff in computer literacy and digital proficiency. He added that training is being conducted in batches.
He also disclosed that efforts are ongoing to ensure that every civil servant has access to the necessary tools for the digital shift:
“There were ongoing arrangements to ensure that each civil servant have a computer (whether office and personal) or alternatively smart cell-phones to use daily in the digital migration process.”
Anigbo stressed that this move is essential to align the state’s workforce with Governor Mbah’s digital vision:
“The digital movement remained the only way for the state workforce to move at the digital speed of Gov. Mbah’s vision for the state.”
He tied the civil service reforms to the governor’s ambitious economic goal, saying:
“All these moves and other innovations are geared towards the goal of the state in moving from $4 billion to $30 billion economy within the next six years.”
Rejecting the inefficiencies of traditional public service systems, Anigbo declared:
“The era of bureaucracy and seemingly delay in civil service system is gone, as I will endear a civil service that is innovative, proactive, delivering on digital speed and thinking outside the box.”
He urged civil servants to embrace a new mindset:
“As it is, each civil servant must get prepared to move at the speed of the disruptive innovation of Gov. Peter Mbah by enabling government policies, programmes and projects under them.”
“Every civil servant must contribute positively to ensure that government policies, programmes and projects are understood, make desired and measurable impact on the lives of the people of Enugu State,” he added.
With his experience across various sectors, Anigbo said he will implement measurable targets and timelines for every Ministry, Department, and Agency (MDA):
“I would set-up time lines and measurable success for each arm of the civil service as well as civil servants serving in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).”
Addressing workers’ welfare, he assured that incentives and support systems would be improved to drive performance:
“The welfare of the civil servants would be given top priority even as ways to improve incentives would be explored to act as motivation to ‘move and meet targets’.”
He acknowledged the governor’s efforts to motivate the workforce:
“Everybody knows that His Excellency, Dr Peter Mbah, is only driven by result and he had continued to encourage civil servant by paying N80,000 as minimum wage and other welfare incentives.”
Reflecting on the governor’s private sector background, Anigbo concluded:
“Coming from the private sector, I believe Gov. Mbah will do more once the service is productive and result-oriented to meet the state’s achievable targets.”
