The Katsina State Government has cautioned civil servants against leaking official government documents in violation of Civil Service Rules and the Official Secrets Act.
The Head of Civil Service, Alhaji Falalu Bawale, made the call at the opening of a three-day workshop with the theme ”New Media, Document Leakages and Digitising Office Work,” which was organised by the Katsina state government in collaboration with the Matasa Media Links.
While stating the constitutional rights of the public to access certain categories of information, the Head of Service said this should only be done within the confines of the law.
He said the public relations officers of ministries, departments and agencies in the state should liaise with conventional and new media to disseminate government activities to the people of the state.
Aksi speaking, Alhaji Mas’ud Banye, the Permanent Secretary in the Department of Pension and Training in the state, said the training was in line with Gov. Dikko Radda’s agenda for the state.
“This administration is desirous of public sector reforms that consist of delivering policy changes to structures and processes, especially digitising office work in this era of global new media.
“The objective is to have a performance oriented, highly motivated, modern and efficient civil service that delivers high quality service to its citizens.
“I have no doubt that this training will surely impact positively on all the participants, bearing in mind the expertise from the carefully selected facilitators.
“The training consists of both the theory and practical aspects of new media, its benefits and implications in handling official documents,” he said.
Banye said that the new media plays an important role in modernising and improving public service delivery by enhancing efficiency, transparency, accessibility and citizen engagement.
“It also enables government to engage with citizens for feedback, input and participation in decision making processes; it also strengthens democratic processes.”
Also, Prof. Bashir Abu-Sabe, who spoke on behalf of Matasa Media Links, said the training is aimed at providing valuable insights and skills to the participants.
“Our assembled experts are passionate about Katsina State’s development and will therefore deliver comprehensive training.
“I encourage the participants to engage themselves fully and apply the knowledge gained in their official capacities,” he said.
He said that Matasa Media Links was established in 2000 as K Bimez Plava, with a rich history of projects and partnership in Katsina State and beyond.
