Shun greed, get-rich-quick mentality for corruption-free service – Director charges civil servants
Mr Aliyu Abdullahi, a retiring Director of Human Resources Management, Federal Ministry of Works, has urged civil servants to shun greed, get-rich-quick mentality, and uphold discipline in the system.
Abdullahi, during his valedictory speech at the retirement party organised by the Ministry, warned against the growing tendency among some civil servants to chase sudden wealth.
According to him, the urge to get-rich-quick is at the root of many cases of corruption in the service.
“My advice to civil servants is that they should be diligent and disciplined in their work. This issue of greed, of trying to get rich suddenly, a sudden type of wealth is what is causing problems in the service.
“If people can avoid that kind of greed and live within their means, everything is there, they will enjoy their service here.
“This syndrome of getting rich quick is what is forcing some people into all types of corruption. If they can avoid that, definitely the service will be better off,” he said.
Abdullahi noted that discipline and respect were almost becoming a thing of the past in the civil service, saying that this ought not to be so.
He lamented the decline in discipline and respect within the civil service, recalling a time when junior staff would step aside to let directors pass in office corridors.
“When we were coming up in service, we looked up to our directors and desired to become directors.
“But the way the service has turned into today, you will be walking along the corridor and somebody will be bumping into you.
“That aspect of respect that used to be the hallmark of civil service is no longer there,” he noted.
Abdullahi urged those still in service to help revive the values that once defined public office.
“Try and bring back a semblance of the discipline and respect that was in the service. You can do it, and it can be done,” he said.
Abdullahi who joined the service in 1990 as a personnel officer, reflected on his journey with gratitude.
“Alhamdulillah, I thank Almighty Allah for making me see this through. A journey that I started some years ago has culminated into this moment.”
He recalled the early challenges of working on the outskirts of Abuja and expressed gratitude for opportunities that came his way.
The director acknowledged the staff he worked with and his wife, and expressed gratitude to family and friends.
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Works, Mr Rafiu Adeladan, congratulated Abdullahi on his retirement and wished him well.
“As you are leaving service today, may the Lord Almighty continue to strengthen you, and cause your years out of service to be more rewarding, fruitful, peaceful, healthier, and trouble-free for you,” Adeladan prayed.
Supreme news reports that friends, colleagues and family members celebrated with the director, showering him with encomiums as they wished him well in his next endeavour.
