The Rivers State Government has assured the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) of its readiness to collaborate with the Institute to enhance the competence and professionalism of its workforce, particularly in human resource development.
The Head of Service, Rivers State, Dr. Inyingi S. I. Brown, gave the assurance while hosting a delegation of professionals from the Institute during a courtesy visit to her office in Port Harcourt.
Dr. Brown noted that the time has come for the State to digitize its bureaucratic processes, especially the activities of the Bureau of Establishment, where critical documentation relating to workers’ employment and retirement processes is handled.
According to her, the Office of the Head of Service has already taken proactive measures to train and retrain workers to ensure increased efficiency in service delivery initiatives that align with its Mission and Vision Statements.
She emphasized that the State Civil Service must be equipped with the right personnel, well-trained to provide potential investors with relevant information that can attract sustainable development to the State.
On professional development, Dr. Brown assured the Institute that the State Government would support its human resource personnel to attain seamless induction into the CIPM without unnecessary financial strain.
She added that she would encourage all human resource managers in the State, working in the Office of the Head of Service and deployed across MDAs, to fully embrace the institute’s induction process.
The Head of Service further explained that the government has begun a process of orientation and reorientation to reinforce the principles and standards necessary for an efficient and functional service.
Earlier, the Leader of the CIPM delegation, Catherine Kadiri, expressed gratitude to the Head of Service for the warm reception accorded her team.
Kadiri explained that the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, founded in Nigeria in 1968, has been responsible for the professional assessment of various categories of practitioners in the field of personnel management.
She revealed that, soon, practicing human resource management without proper certification from CIPM would be criminalized under the provisions of the relevant Act of the National Assembly.
According to her, the CIPM remains the only professional body authorized to regulate the practice and conduct of human resource management practitioners in Nigeria.
She stressed that the Institute is not a “cash-and-carry” organization where certifications can be obtained without undergoing thorough professional scrutiny and evaluation.
Kadiri further announced that, in the near future, promotions into the directorate cadre in personnel management within the Civil Service would be based on candidates’ performance in a screening examination to be supervised by the CIPM.
She noted three routes available for enrollment into the Institute: the Executive Route, the Practitioners’ Route, and the Examination Route.
The highlight of the visit was the exchange of symbolic gifts between the Head of Service, Rivers State, and Catherine Kadiri of the CIPM.
- Godam is the Head, Information and Public Relations Unit, Office of the Head of Service.