…As Stakeholders set Agenda to reclaim Public Service Legacy
Ekiti State Government in collaboration with Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, a dedicated technocratic institution for the sustainable development of the Southwest Region, with support from the Department for International Development (DFID), organised a summit for Heads of Service of South West States namely; Ekiti, Osun, Ogun, Ondo, Oyo and Lagos State.
The Summit is organized to set in motion, the Agenda to Reclaim Public Service Legacy, develop a sustainable working relationship among member states and also to build the capacity of Heads of Service, Permanent Secretaries amongst other relevant stakeholders in the region.
In his Welcome Address, Ekiti State Head of Service, Mr. Ayodeji Ajayi acknowledged the collective efforts by South West States to develope the region towards economic and socio-political stability, vis-à-vis efficient Public Service system.
“In 2011, some of the Heads of Service in South West attended a meeting in Kaduna where they saw the need for them to work hand in hand and to peer review themselves to ensure they adopt best practices for the Public Service in the South West to be the best in Africa. The Agenda was laid low for a while but we thank God for the resuscitation of this Agenda which is to reclaim Public Service Legacy in South-Western Nigeria.
“This was why we invited Mr. Bunmi Famusaya who was a pioneer member of the team that started the vision to grace the event and he is really happy that the dream is fully reaching its potentials,” he said.
The Ekiti HOS also noted the state hosted the Summit in 2010 that the then HOS invited the DAWN Commission to provide technical insights for the realization of the Agenda with support from DFID as well while appreciating the unending support from the Commission and the UK donor Agency.
Representing Ekiti State Governor, the Deputy Governor Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi affirmed the existence of a proactive collaboration among South West Governor to forge a formidable workforce for the development of the region, saying that there will be a continuous effort towards enhancing the economic viability of the region.
Senior Analyst, DAWN Commission, Mr. Biodun Oladipo explained that the Commission was set up by the Governments of the Southwest States of Nigeria as the institutional and programme management body to midwife their Regional Integration Agenda.
“DAWN Commission is the dedicated coordinating agency, fully empowered by the Governments to ensure the delivery of the composite development aspirations of the Region, as expressed in what has been generally adopted and known as the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN). The Commission is committed to working with all Heads of Service in the region as they are important stakeholders in the development of the workforce across the South West States,” he said.
During the Technical Session of the event, Representative of the Commission, Titi Kushimo, gave a presentation on ‘Update on the Resolutions from the last Meeting of Southwest Heads of Service’.
She noted that the last edition of the Southwest Heads of Service Meeting hosted by the Head of Service State of Osun in Osogbo on Tuesday, 30th April 2019 had the following resolutions: That the model to have a Regional Centre of Excellence for training and Staff development across the Region as proposed by DAWN Commission should be encouraged and implemented.
That the States should keep abreast of the training available from foreign countries through the National Planning Commission to access the variety of free international capacity building programmes for the public service as required for optimum performance and improved service delivery.
That DAWN Commission should write advisory letters to the Governors of the Six States, appealing to them to localize training in the Health sector as against consultancy methods hitherto being adopted, amounting to a high financial burden on the Government. States’ Staff Development Centres should be utilized instead, as this would help develop the credibility of these training institutes.
That the Heads of Service should throw their weight behind promoting incentives for training participants to address the socio-cultural issues that have hitherto bedeviled the process of capacity development for the public service.
That middle-level officers in the public service should be given Capacity development opportunities as this would encourage growth and enthusiasm to deliver sustainable optimum services.
That the States should take advantage of the ETF for the training of the Staff at the various Staff Development Centres.
That DAWN Commission should facilitate the creation of a Southwest chapter of the National Women in Governance Community. This would encourage women participation in governance and provide capacity development for increased women participation in governance.
That State Governments, in collaboration with DAWN Commission, should promote Ease of Doing Business in the States particularly in processing Title documents which is considered the most important indicator in World Bank ranking. The Governor should be encouraged to delegate such authority to the Commissioner for Lands or his nominee to sign.
That the Heads of Service should help drive Reforms and fortify the public service with adequate relational incentives that would encourage excellent service delivery.
That the WNFF should collaborate with DAWN Commission to develop a strategy for sports development for the Southwest.
She concluded that the Commission hopes that the Southwest States, through the Office of Heads of Service, will maximize the opportunity of DFID/PERL’s technical support to engender governance reforms for improved service delivery, particularly as it concerns Staff development centres.
In attendance to grace the occasion was the full complement of Ekiti State Government led by His Excellency the Deputy Governor, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi; Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji; the Chief of Staff, Hon. Biodun Omoleye; all Permanent Secretaries; Members of Ekiti State House of Assembly; Chairman Ekiti State Council of Obas, Alawe of Ilawe amongst others.
Other Stakeholders present at the event include; Delegate from the South West States; Officials of DAWN Commission and DFID.