……No Governor had ever done this for us- Workers
Over 500 workers have benefited from the Enugu state free health and medical outreach program organised on Monday, 17 November for state government workers as one of the programs put in place for the celebration of the 2025 Civil and Public service week .
The free health/ medical outreach which was organised by the Office of the Head of Service in conjunction with the Enugu state Government at the state Secretariat,Enugu, was the first of it’s kind since the inception of the celebration of the Civil service week in the state
The workers
Speaking on the free health and medical outreach, the Head of Service ,Dr. Godwin Anigbo, Mni, said his inspiration was drawn from the philosophy of the Governor of Enugu state, Dr. Peter Mbah, “who believes so much in empowering the citizens and the good people of Enugu State.
“In fact, His Excellency, the Governor, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah believes that the health sector is a very critical sector in the economy of the state. Also, he believes that in Enugu we should have what we call a robust, resilient, and well-equipped and empowered civil service.
” As a major driver of government policies, when you take the health of workers seriously, it also speaks to the fact that you are taking their welfare seriously and we had to think outside the box and initiate this programme. It’s going to be an annual event and we need to also upscale it to the level of establishing or having a sick bay at the state secretariat that will cater for the health needs of our workers and you know that a healthy workforce is a productive workforce and we are not taking productivity and optimisation of service delivery for granted.
Dr. Anigbo. Head of Service
“The inspiration came from His Excellency, the Governor, his philosophy and his transformative leadership,” Dr. Anigbo disclosed. .
He said the free health/medical outreach was not for state workers alone. His words “we extended an open invitation to all civil servants in Enugu State and we really prepared very well for this event.
“We are also partnering with people in the corporate sector more especially, the major players in the pharmaceutical industry or sub-sector in Enugu State.The likes of Juhel, the likes of Nemel Pharmaceuticals, the likes of Erico Pharmacy, the likes of Mass Care Pharmacy. They’re all partnering with us in ensuring that this exercise comes out good.,” he said.
The head of service went further to say, “Of course, you can see what is happening at the Secretariat New Auditorium.. We have medical doctors on ground, we have pharmacists, we have dieticians, who also will take care of the counselling of patients and workers.We also have nurses and medical lab scientists.Scientists. They’re all on ground. We have enough drugs, you know, anti-malaria drugs, anti-diabetics, drugs for high blood pressure and all that.
“So “We are well prepared for this exercise.and men who are above 40 are going to undergo prostate cancer screening and other things,.So we are really prepared for it, Dr. Anigbo said.
A cross section of some of the Beneficiaries
Showing gratitude to the Governor for his approval and support for the program, he said,:
“kudos to His Excellency, the Governor, for giving us this platform and opportunity to serve our people and to draw more inspiration from his philosophy of governance.
The Head of Service spoke on some of the sicknesses treated.
Talking about High Blood pressure, which is rampant, Dr. Anigbo said, life 9 in Africa is quite low. and the high blood pressure, some are genetical.”If you have it in your family, there’s every likelihood within the third,from first to fourth generation that people tend to have high blood pressure. That is one. Two is another lifestyle.”Lifestyle is a key thing when it comes to high blood pressure. High salt intake,sedentary lifestyle and other factors are also responsible for high blood pressure.
He implored workers to remain steadfast, to remain committed, and to always be rest assured that the government is always there to cater for their needs.
“We are not taking their welfare for granted and that’s why salaries are paid promptly, before the end of every month. Pensions are paid promptly also. Most importantly, the minimum wage of 80,000 naira was also a groundbreaking one from His Excellency, the governor.
“Whereas federal government is paying 70,000, Peter Mbah administration is paying 80,000. It speaks to his benevolence and commitment to public welfare. He’s always there to protect the interest of workers,” Dr Anigbo said.
He also spoke on minimum wage and consequential adjustment, saying, . “to the best of my knowledge, I dialogue and relate very closely with the organised level, NLC,TUC and the association of senior civil servants of Nigeria and other arms of the organised . I’ve not formally received an outright complaint regarding consequential adjustment but when I will receive such complaints, we’ll look at it and look at its merits and send to higher authorities,.
“Whatever complaints they have, if it has merit,I know that His Excellency, the governor is a listening leader, very responsive and responsible. He will definitely take necessary actions to remedy whatever thing they believe that is not proper. But for now, I’ve not received any complaints. I dialogue and relate closely with the organised labour.,” he said.
A worker being attended to.
Speaking on the commitments of Enugu workers , the Head of Service said, “we are all out,not to disappoint the governor and the good people of Enugu state. We have this commitment that we will remain steadfast. We remain unshaken in our resolve to ensure that we have optimisation of service delivery and high level of productivity in the civil service.
“We want to build a resilient, robust and well-strengthened institutions that will even outlive the administration of Perter Mbah in the next six to five years. So what we are doing actually is that we are here to ensure that the civil service of Enugu state becomes a model in the whole West Africa, more especially as it relates or concerns sub-national governments.
So, we are here to break new ground, drive critical reforms and ensure that the service gets better under our leadership ,”.he said.
A patient collecting free drugs after being examined
Dr. Anigbo also spoke on promotion of workers , disclosing that they will modify the Annual Performance Evaluation Report. System (APERS) for better assessment, adding that promotion must be earned.
“We are talking about looking at what we call private or Classified Personal Assessment Report Writing Style that would ensure people write confidential reports about the overall performance of officers under their leadership or under their watch.Just a step much more than the APERS style.
Dr. Ifeanyi Agujiobi, permanent secretary, Ministry of Health and health and medical committee chairman
Speaking on how best to get a reliable assessment of workers’ performances, Dr. Anigbo said:
“We will create units that will address transparency and integrity..We are going to have what we call window shoppers, and whistleblowing. So we have our mechanism from the back end to assess and track some of these things. And all these things will not be put out in the media,” the Head of Service said .
In an interview, the Permanent secretary Ministry of Health and chairman health/ medical committee, , Dr. Ifeanyi Agujiobi, commended Governor Mbah for his support in the health sector. He said he has the interest of Enugu workers at heart , hence the approval for the free health/ medical outreach..
“This is the first of it’s kind, it has been pragmatic.It has been strategic I. “, Agujiobi said. He said the office of the Head of service thought it wise that workers should know their basic health parameters , so that those that are sick can seek medical attention.
Dr. Agujiobi said all manner of sicknesses were attended to and free drugs were given to patients m
On the cost of the drugs, He said close to One hundred million Niara worth of drugs were given out..
The chairman thanked Governor Mbah for his support and urged workers to come out and know their present heath status ,so that those that are sick can seek medical service early..
A benefiary, Egu Clara thanked Governor Mbah for the free health/ medical service. She said she was examined and was given free drugs. She prayed God to bless Governor Mbah.
A benefiary
Another beneficiary, Ugwu Patrick Uchechukwu, thanked God for what the governor has done for the workers. He prayed for God’s blessings upon the governor.
“I pray that our governor will continue doing good for the workers of Enugu state.
“No Governor had ever done this for the Civilian servants in Enugu state. We appreciate what he has done for us and we pray that God will bless him,” Ugwu said.
