The Aguyiba story: from Gardener to Chief Office Assistant

In 1981, a young man named Christopher Aguyiba was interviewed and employed by then Ghana Standards Board, as a Gardener.

On Friday, November 27, this gentleman exited the now Ghana Standards Authority, as a Chief Office Assistant, after 39 years of diligent service to the organisation.

His progression from a humble Gardener almost four decades ago, to a Chief Office Assistant at the end of his career in 2020 is worth highlighting and celebrating.

At a send-off organised for five long-serving staff of the Authority, a citation presented to Christopher vividly captured his trajectory. Other retirees honoured on the day include Mrs. Prudence Asamoah-Bonti, DDG (OPS), Mr. Paul Michael Date, Head, Scientific Metrology Department, Ms. Mary Esi Misenu, DDG (OPS) Secretariat and Ms. Judith Anku, Koforidua Office.

All the awardees received a package and framed citations.

THE PEOPLE’S MAN

I joined the organisation in November 2017, and not surprisingly, one of the first colleagues I bonded with was the affable, Christopher.

Over the relatively short period that I have interacted with him, I developed a fondness for this extremely helpful and hardworking gentleman.

He goes well out of his way to support others and does so with a genuine smile, demonstrating that he actually enjoys his work.

At the event, he narrated a story about how some initially trivialised his office duties which involved record-keeping, retrievals and related administrative duties.

The perception that these tasks were easy and could be performed by anyone was quickly debunked after he went on leave, and the representative that stood in and other colleagues in the Department struggled to keep up with the schedule and activities that Christopher handled every day with such ease.

His absence was noticeable, and that incident led to a much greater appreciation for his work. He was subsequently tasked to train others. He successfully trained several others to perform the same tasks, but Christopher is truly irreplaceable and he will be missed greatly. Judging from the show of love and appreciation at the send-off, Chris is truly a favourite of the people.

HIS CITATION READS:

You were offered appointment as a Garden Boy by the then Ghana Standards Board on 14th July 1981. Because of your tenacity, zeal and commitment to work even beyond assigned duties, you earned the opportunity to work in the Personnel Department following your transfer in August 1990 and subsequent conversion to the grade of Clerk Grade III.

Through meritorious service and good conduct, you were again promoted to the grade of Clerk Grade-II in January 1997 and rose through the ranks to become an Administrative Assistant in January 2007.

In April 2000, you were nominated to participate in the In-Service Training Programme for Civil Service, a course that was beneficial to workers at the clerical grade and your personal career development, in particular.

In your quest to develop and specialize in the field of records management and administration, you participated in many local training programs such as “Records Management and Archives Administration, Office Management & Administration, Quality Management Systems, and Records Management in Administration.

Subsequently, you were promoted to the grade of Senior Administrative Officer in January 2010.

Your excellent knowledge of both clerical & administrative duties and records keeping earned you a nomination to participate in a workshop on Records Management, Digitization, and Institutional Repository in April 2015.

You achieved the highest echelon of the Assistant grade when you earned your promotion to Chief Office Assistant on 2nd January 2019. That was the grade on which you gracefully retired in July 2020.

Your qualities are many and admirable and we shall remember your ingenuity, capacity to maintain a high workload, good retentive memory, and your professionalism in handling confidential official matters.

The love and sincerity and strong interpersonal skills you demonstrated in your interactions with your superiors, colleagues, and subordinates made you a character worthy of emulation.

Your progression from humble beginnings as a Garden Boy in 1981 to the end of your career in 2020 as a Chief Office Assistant is impressive.

With a standing ovation, we collectively bestow this fitting honour on you for rendering thirty-nine (39) years of exceptional, assiduous, and noteworthy service to the Ghana Standards Authority.

We wish you well in your future endeavours and may God richly bless you.