Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation(HCSF) has enjoined Federal civil servants to keep fit through regular exercise to guarantee optimal performance and efficient service delivery to the citizenry.
Yemi-Esan stated this on Saturday at the sporting activities organised for Civil servants drawn from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies(MDAs) at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja, as part of activities to mark the Civil Service Week.
She advised them to make use of the well -equipped Wellness Centre domiciled in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation for both physical and mental fitness.
“We need to keep our bodies healthy to function optimally,” she said.
In an interview with newsmen,Yemi-Esan said Civil Servants across MDAs embarked on the sporting exercise to draw the attention of the public that civil servants are the workforce and the engine room behind the policy implementation of government.
The Head of Service, said It is time for civil Servants to recognise and appreciate themselves for the good job they are doing.
According to her, the Federal Government workforce spent most of the times working behind the scene, stressing that they are not seen and not heard.
“So, we use this week to project civil servants and to ensure that the nation knows that there is a workforce that is behind the policy implementation of government.
On the essence of sports event today, she said, you know that for civil servants to be able to perform optimally and to be productive they must be healthy and so the aerobics and the sports activities of today is to encourage civil servants to participate frequently in sporting activities because a healthy mind must live in a healthy body.
The event featured 100 metres for both male and female workers, permanent secretaries and directors across ministries, departments and agencies.
It also featured football matches between Ministries of Defence and Education, as well as Permanent Secretaries and Directors.
Mr Yemi-Esan, who served as a goal keeper and the captain of the match between the permanent secretaries and directors, underscored the need for such exercises for workers to be highly productive in their assignment to the country.
She further pointed out that the event was also meant to expose the talented workers in the area of sports as most of them were rarely known in such field.
“Most of the times civil servants are not seen, are not heard and so we use this week to project civil servants.
“For the country to know that there is a workforce that is behind the policy implementation for the nation”.
Also speaking on the significance of the event, the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, said the fitness gained by the civil servants at the event was overwhelming, as many of them participated in several sporting activities.
She said:“This is a day set aside to make the civil servants to come out and exercise their bodies, exercise their brains and all the parts of their bodies to keep them fit for the tasks ahead.”
She advised the heads of parastatal and agencies to key into organising members of staff of their organisations to monthly exercise so as to keep their workers fit for their office assignment.
