We’re developing PSIN like Harvard Training Institute — Oyo-Ita

Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), has said that the Federal Government had intensified effort toward developing the Public Institute of Nigeria (PSIN), like the Harvard Public Training Institute.

Oya-Ita said this on Thursday in Abuja while inaugurating various projects at the PSIN under the Public Private Partnership (PPP).

It was reported that the projects inaugurated are PSIN Clinic with 12 bed capacity, PSIN Hotel & Suites with 27 bedroom, an auditorium named after President Muhammadu Buhari and a computer centre.

Others are classroom block named after Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, a lecture theatre named after Head of Service Winifred Oyo-Ita, a primary school and 250 bedroom male hostels.

Oyo-Ita noted that her office was able to construct the projects through PPP, and that it was the only way infrastructures could be developed in the institute to make it look like Harvard Public Training Institute and the London School of Government.

“The Public Service Institute of Nigeria is one of the lead management development institutes of the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.

“Over the years, much has been expected from this institute in the area of training for middle level civil servants and public servants.

“When we came on board, we realised that we needed to expand our frontiers considering the fact that government is facing funding challenge and we cannot always rely on it,” she said.

“So, what we did was to examine various PPP models we can engage in getting the PSIN to function in such a way that we can develop it to become like the Harvard Public Training Institute and London School of Government and so on.

“To achieve this, we needed to engage professionals in the private sector who are ready to share knowledge and resources with us and this is one of the reasons we partnered HiiT in the area of ICT training, and Riverside Hospitals in the area of health.”

According to Oyo-Ita, her office has been able to achieve its main goal of re-positioning the institute through the PPP, insisting that the remaining goals will be pursued vigorously to meet President Muhammadu Buhari’s next level agenda.

“What we have achieved in this partnership is that we have eight priority areas and two have been addressed by this partnership.

“The first achievement is the renovation aspect of our programme which encourages commercial orientation and entrepreneurial development for government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), whereby we look at those aspects of our mandate that can generate revenue for government.

“We are engaging with JAMB and other professional bodies that want to hold professional exams and we also have programme on ICT for young ones in the institute and the neighbourhood; this is one aspect.

“The second aspect is the digitalisation and development of enterprise content management system, and to do that, we need to develop the automotive capacity of the civil service.

“And it is in the programme like this one handled by HiiT computers that we are able to do this which is in line with the vision of the government of the day,” Oyo-Ita added.

She commended Dr Abdul-Ganiyu Obatoyinbo, the Administrator of the Institute, for supporting her efforts and that of President Buhari in taking the civil service to a greater height.

On his part, Obatoyinbo said that they had put in place mechanisms that would ensure that quality projects were delivered at all times.

He also said that contractors had been engaged to ensure regular maintenance of facilities at the institute.