By Stella Odueme
The Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, has urged civil and public servants to frequently engage in exercises and sporting activities in order to keep fit for the enormous task of nation building before them.
Yemi-Esan, made the call during the Aerobics and Sporting Activities organised for civil servants across various Ministries, extra-Ministerial, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, as part of activities to mark the 2023 Civil Service Week celebrations last Saturday.
She explained that for civil servants to be able to perform optimally and be more productive, they must be healthy by engaging in aerobics.
She encouraged them to participate frequently in sporting activities because ‘a healthy body begets a healthy mind,” she stressed.
The Head of Service implored federal civil servants to make adequate use of the well-equipped wellness centre recently commissioned in the OHCSF’s Complex for both their physical and mental fitness.
She equally urged workers, across all the MDAs, to engage in regular sporting exercises to draw the attention of the general public that civil servants are the workforce and engine room of government.
She added that it is time for civil servants to recognise, as well as appreciate themselves for the good job they are doing.
While speaking on the significance of the event, the Accountant-General of the Federation, Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, said that the physical fitness gained by the civil servants at the event was overwhelming and a pointer to building a viral nation.
The event featured 100 metres race for both male and female workers, a novelty football match between the transformative permanent secretaries’ team and that of the directors, which was won by the former. Another football match involving teams from the Federal Ministries of Defence and Education was also played, which ended in victory for the latter.
Other competitions featured at the event include, “Best Behaved Team.” The 1st position was awarded to the OHCSF, the 2nd went to Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, while the 3rd position was taken by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.
The 1st position for the “Best Kitted Team,” was presented to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, while the 2nd position went to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. The 3rd went to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.
Also, the 1st place for the MDA with the “Highest Attendance,” was awarded to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing with a total number of 299 workers, in attendance, while the 2nd and 3rd positions were won by the Federal Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, with 263 and Labour, Employment and Productivity with 191, respectively.
Lastly, the 1st position for the “First in Attendance,” was received by the Federal Ministries of Transportation with that of Agriculture and Rural Development coming 2nd and Labour Employment and Productivity following in the 3rd position.
In attendance at the Sports Fiesta were transformative permanent secretaries from various MDAs, directorate, middle and junior cadre civil servants, as well as management and staff from a large number of agencies.
