Ag. Head of Service charges perm secs, heads of agencies on innovative service

Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, the Acting Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), on has charged permanent secretaries and chief executives of government agencies to come up with fresh innovations to transform the public service.

Yemi-Esan, who stated this in Abuja at the opening of a conference on innovative training for the top civil servants said that the success of the ongoing reforms of the federal public service depended on innovations.

She said that the objective of the training programme was to upgrade the needed skills to transform the nation`s public service.

It was reported that the training is part of the 2017 to 2020 Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP).

The aim of FCSSIP was articulated to drive in the transformation of the Nigerian civil service in line with global standards.

Yemi-Esan said that achieving this could only be possible through impacting new ideas into the minds of both junior and senior level officers in the public service sector.

She recalled the aspirations of President Muhammadu Buhari, to improve the livelihood of Nigerians through Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

The aim of the ERGP, she said was to diversify the nation’s economy, saying that this had already set the country on the path of growth, stability and prosperity.

According to her, the public sector as the key driver of socio-economic development in the country that should not be left out, hence the need to engage public servants in the country in innovative programmes for improved service delivery.

“While the priorities of the ERGP centres on power and infrastructure development, employment, good governance, food security and industrialisation.

“It is pertinent to note that it identifies sound macroeconomic environment and an efficient public sector as being critical to long term growth.

“Consequently, the public sector as the key driver of socio-economic development in the country cannot afford to relegate its responsibility, but it must be alive and proactive in carrying out its functions for improved service delivery.

“It is for this purpose among other objectives that this conference was organised for the top echelons in the public sector,” she said.

Also, Mr Paul McGrath, the Chairman, Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) of the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said that the chamber was delighted to partner with office of the HCSF to organise the training.

Represented by Mr Lorenzo Fiorillo, Vice Chairman, OPTS, he said that the chamber was committed to contribute to Nigeria’s economy by maximising the potential of the upstream petroleum sector.

“Our member-companies appreciate this opportunity to support office of the HCSF in the provision of the world-class innovation programme to Nigerians,” he said.

Mr Festus Daudu, the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs expressed appreciation to the acting HCSF over the initiative.

According to Daudu, the public service innovation conference with the theme: “Creating Opportunities by Leveraging Innovation for Effective Public Service Delivery and Economic Diversification” has come at the right time.

“I am aware that the intention of this conference is to transform the civil service from a bureaucratic setting to innovative setting and I believe that it couldn’t have come at any better time than now.

“The civil service is in dire need of innovation, whereby it will be in the position to deliver on its mandates of serving the people of Nigeria in a different way,” he said.

Daudu said that if the initiative was properly harnessed, civil service would move to a better and higher ground from the old method bequeathed to the country by the colonial masters.