As part of efforts aimed at boosting the morale of workers, both retiring and serving, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources on Thursday, 10th August, 2023, in Abuja, honoured sixteen Civil Servants who retired from the Ministry in 2022.
In a release made available to newsmen in Abuja, Friday, by Enefaa Bob-Manuel, Director (Information) of the Ministry, the event was applauded by both serving and retired staff of the Ministry as one with a human face and for coming at a time Nigerians are seeking ways to cushion the effects of the removal of fuel subsidy.
In his address at a ceremony organized in honour of the retirees, the Permanent Secretary, Amb. Gabriel Tanimu Aduda thanked them for dedicating a considerable number of years to the service of Nigeria.
“We want you to know that we appreciate you. You have given Nigeria 35 years of your life”. The nation appreciates what you have done. It couldn’t have been better done by anyone. That is why today, we are not taking it lightly to celebrate persons like you. Our sincere prayer is that, as you retire from service, you do not retire from life”, Aduda noted.
The Permanent Secretary also admonished staff who are still in active service to earnestly put in place a retirement plan and not neccessarily wait till the last day in service.
He posited that, employees should be delibrate about their retirement plans, work towards it and channel their training and opportunities towards it, so that by the time they are exiting paid employment, they already have something waiting to fall back on.
Against the backdrop of the dominance of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry by the International Oil Companies (IOCs) with regards to succession, Aduda emphasized the need to begin to build and strengthen “indigenous capacities”. In this regard, he noted that the role of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources cannot be jettisioned.
The Permanent Secretary stated that the Ministry of Petroleum Resources must define and design the policies that would make the country to continue to benefit maximally from her abundant oil and gas resources.
Aduda expressed optimism that, in spite of the advocacy for green energy and conversations around climate change, going away from fossil fuels was not in the immediate future. He however sued for the need to engage in better practices and forms of extraction, reduction of emissions and decarbonization, adding that all these underscore the importance of an institution as the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
He thanked the retirees for their meritorious service to the Ministry and the country at large. While assuring them of the Ministry’s goodwill, he implored them to always oblige the Ministry of their wealth of experience whenever they were called upon.
In an earlier address, the Director, Human Resources Management, Mrs. Asmau’u Shehu Adaji, stated that the ceremony was a milestone for the retirees who had contributed in their various capacities towards improving the Civil Service and for the development of Nigeria.
“Management has organized this forum as a mark of appreciation for the selfless service you have rendered to your fatherland”, she added.
She also commended the progressive reforms of the government in providing various training programmes in preparing officers for life after service.
She further enjoined the retirees not to view retirement as the end of a productive life, but to see it as another phase in which their wealth of experience and expertise would be cultivated in building a vibrant Civil Service and in providing leadership and guidance neccessary for building a modern society.
The highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of plaques and gift items to the retirees.
Speaking on behalf of the retirees, retired Director, Mr. Alawode, thanked the management for acknowledging the stewardship of the retirees and for honouring them.
