By Demola Akinyemi Ilorin
Kwara State Government has completed a two-day capacity building for Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries, and Directors across the ministries and parastatals in order to strengthen good governance, effective leadership skills, and ensure accountability in public service delivery.
The workshop organised by the office of the Head of Service in collaboration with Triumph Communication was held in Ilorin, the state capital.
Declaring the workshop open, the Acting Head of Service, Dr. Olufunke Shittu, commended the state governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his unwavering commitment to capacity building.
“I would like to first express my profound gratitude to His Excellency, the Governor of Kwara State, and Chairman Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Mall. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaa CON, for his unwavering commitment to capacity building and for approving this timely and essential workshop.
“This administration recognizes that good governance and effective leadership are the bedrocks of sustainable development and efficient service delivery to our citizens.
“The theme of this workshop “Effective Governance and Effective Leadership Skills” is particularly relevant in our current dynamic environment. 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. This workshop is designed to:
i. Hone our existing skills by equipping us with contemporary tools and techniques for effective decision-making and leadership in alignment with global best practices; Enhance collaboration between the political and administrative heads for seamless implementation of government policies and programmes; and Expose us to global best practices in public administration and ethical leadership, reinforcing the need for transparency and accountability which the present administration is known for.”
She however expresses confidence that the workshop will enhance their capacity and translate into improved performance, enhanced productivity, and ultimately, better service delivery to the good people of Kwara State.
In his lead presentation as one of the resource persons, Professor Emmanuel Ojo of the Political Science department of the University of Ilorin harped on the importance of effective governance and leadership skills saying it is key to the dividends of democracy.
“It is imperative that we update our knowledge so that in our respective duty posts, we can enhance our productivity towards service delivery in a way that can enhance the dividend of democracy that our people are yearning for both in the urban and rural/grassroots.”
He also highlighted some of the qualities expected of the participants to include: loyalty/competence, daily information, a sense of spatial development, being a servant leader, closer to their constituency, Iconic/legacy project, flair of data/empiricism, listening ear.
The university don however urged them to always imbibe the habit of thinking out of the box saying “be able to think outside the box when it comes to solving societal problems. Daily, the government is confronted with new challenges that were never envisaged before.”
Prof Lambe Kayode Mustapha, a Professor of Mass Communication at the University of Ilorin also presented a paper on “Effective Communication: A Brief for Top Government Officials”.
In his remarks, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq represented by Senior Adviser and Counsellor, Alhaji Saadu Salau urged the participants to deploy the knowledge gained to advance the good and effective governance in the state.
Also the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Mamman Saba Jibril urged the participants to make the best use of the training programme, stressing government’s determination to continue to ensure capacity building for its public officers.
Also speaking the facilitator of the workshop, Oloriewe Raheem Adedoyin said the workshop was designed for theory and practical to enhance effective service delivery.
“We expect that the permanent Secretary and commissioner should be able to do their job in a manner that reflect the aspiration of the government, especially at the grassroots level.”
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