Rivers ICT staff must be certified to earn promotion — Fubara

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has directed the State Civil Service Commission to ensure that no Information and Communications Technology staff in the State Civil Service is promoted without obtaining certification from the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria.

The CPN is a legal entity established by Decree No. 49 of 1993, charged with controlling and supervising the computing profession in the country, in partnership with the Nigeria Computer Society.

Fubara issued the directive while speaking at a dinner organised for delegates of the 2024 International Conference of the Nigeria Computer Society at Government House, Port Harcourt, on Thursday night.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Nelson Chulwudi, and sent to newsmen.

The governor said that as part of efforts to eliminate quackery in the sector and promote the accelerated deployment and application of technology in the workplace, his administration is taking measures to fast-track ICT literacy.

He stated that this move would enhance effective and efficient service delivery in the state.

Fubara also said he had assured the President of the society that civil servants who belong to the ICT profession must be certified before receiving further promotions.

“I was a civil servant before becoming a politician. I didn’t just jump into politics — I have a track record, I come from somewhere, and I understand procedures.

“We will give you all the support needed to ensure that this association or society is recognised in this state. I can assure you of that.”

Fubara noted that with the emphasis on the application of ICT in the state public service, the government’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) has more than doubled, and the entire civil service has already been automated.

“Our major interest is to improve the state, nothing less and nothing more. To better the state — we have found it in a particular condition, and when we leave, people will ask: Did you leave it the way you found it, or did you add value?

“Our job is to add value, and I can tell you, we are doing just that. You heard what one of the comedians said — we have improved our IGR, and we don’t borrow to execute projects. And this is due to one thing: the application of technology in the affairs of our state.”