Kwara Govt Organizes Workshop For Top Officials, Bureaucrats To Drive Efficient Service

A two-day workshop organized for political office holders and top civil servants in Kwara State to drive efficient service delivery and promote good governance was brought to a close on Thursday.

Organized by the Office of the Head of Service in collaboration with Triumph Corporate Ltd, the workshop had as its theme ‘Effective Governance and Leadership Skills’.

Speaking at the event, the state Acting Head of Service, Dr Mercy Olufunke Shittu, said the training was put together because of the importance the current administration in the state attaches to effective leadership and good governance noting that the participants shoulder some responsibilities and therefore need to have a blend of political acumen and administrative expertise to navigate the complexities of modern governance.

‘As Honourable Commissioners and Permanent Secretaries, we form the core of policy formulation and implementation within our respective Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAS). Our roles require a blend of political acumen and administrative expertise to navigate the complexities of modern governance.

The workshop was designed to hone the existing skills by equipping them with contemporary tools and techniques for effective decision-making and leadership in alignment with global best practices as well as enhance collaboration between the political and administrative heads for seamless implementation of government policies and programmes’ she submitted while giving her speech during the opening ceremony of the workshop on Wednesday.

Dr Shittu added that the report of training needs assessment which her office recently conducted showed that some cadres in the Service need improvement on knowledge of ICT and the workshop will also address this gap.

Dignitaries at the event held at Wingate Hotel, Ilorin included Secretary to the State Government, Professor Mamman Saba Jubril; Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s Special Adviser on Special Duties, Alhaji AbdulRazaq Jidda; Commissioners; serving and retired Permanent Secretaries; among others.

Chief Executive Officer of Triumph Corporate Ltd, who is an APC Chieftain, Oloriewe Raheem Adedoyin, said the workshop was aimed at improving the capacity of the Commissioners and Permanent Secretaries to ensure efficient and effective service delivery.

‘The Commissioners are the political head of the Ministries and we are trying to synergize their works with the permanent secretaries and improve their capabilities to do the work better.

At the end of the training workshop, we expect that the Commissioners and the Permanent Secretaries should be able to do their jobs in a manner that reflects the aspirations of the government’ he submitted while urging the participants to pay adequate attention at every segment of the session and make sure that they leave the venue with much difference.

For every training you attend, you are seeking more knowledge and at the end of this training workshop, we expect that you will be better equipped with knowing how well to handle government affairs’ he added.

Prof. Emmanuel Ojo, a Professor of Political Science at the University of Ilorin, while presenting his paper, touched on some of the basic features of good governance and leadership, pointing out that African nations have continued to face challenges of governance and leadership.

Professor Ojo, a former Chief of Staff, Government House, Ibadan, Oyo State urged leaders to seek for more knowledge and have robust engagement with the people of their constituency to effectively impact their lives.

He also stressed the need to have data for effective planning, and for seamless implementation of policies and programmes.

‘When people get into public office, they disconnect, but when the election is around the corner, they run back and they are getting disappointed’ he said.

Some of the participants, who spoke with newsmen on the sideline of the programme, thanked Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his unwavering commitment to building the capacity of public officers and top ranked civil servants while also promising to make good use of the knowledge gained at the workshop to ensure effective service delivery in the respective ministries and agencies.

Professor Lambe Kayode Mustapha, a Professor of Mass Communication at the University of Ilorin, also delivered a keynote speech  and had ‘Effective Communication: A Brief for Top Government Officials’ as his keynote topic -Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079, 08059100286, 09094171980. Thank you