By Patrick Obia
The Cross River State Government has directed workers in the State public service to ignore a circular directing them to acquire staff identity cards “as means of identification in the forthcoming State-wide personnel verification exercise.”
The directive was contained in a press release signed by Dr. Innocent Eteng, the Permanent Secretary, for the Secretary to the State Government notifying all workers in the State public service including those in the local government areas to discountenance any directive on obtaining staff identity card.
The release said ordinarily expected that all staff of the State Government and Unified Local Government Service should have identity cards, therefore, no civil servant is expected to procure a new one or contact any individual in this regard.
The release reads: “The Cross River State Government wishes to notify all workers in the state civil public service including those in the Local Government Areas to discountenance any directive on obtaining Staff Identity Card.
“It is ordinarily expected that all staff of the State Government and Unified Local Government Service should have Identity Cards, therefore, no civil servant is expected to procure a new one or contact any individual in this regard.
“The State Government, therefore, overrides the memo to wit: OUR REF: GO/HOS/563/S.4/vOL. II/263 WITH THE SUBJECT: PRESENTATION OF THE CROSS RIVER STATE STAFF IDENTITY CARD AS MEANS OF IDENTIFICATION IN THE FORTH-COMING STATEWIDE PERSONNEL VERIFICATION EXERCISE
“Furthermore, the State Government is aware that staff in the State Civil/Public Service and indeed the Unified Local Government Service have Identity Cards duly issued to them and is adequate for the purpose of identification.”