Edo charts new course for public service reform

Stakeholders in partnership with the Edo State Government have hosted a strategy retreat for all heads of service of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo and Delta (BRACED) states towards enhancing the workforce in the region.

Director-General of John Odigie-Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA), Precious Ajoonu, emphasised the importance of collaboration and the pressing need for a transformed public service that is responsive, efficient, innovative, inclusive and resilient, especially as the nation stands at the precipice of a new era.

A former Governor of Edo State, John Odigie-Oyegun, commended JOOPSA for raising the bar in the upskilling of civil and public servants in Nigeria and by setting a standard for excellence in public service delivery.

The strategy retreat with the theme ‘Leadership in the Public Sector: Strengthening Public Institutions,’ was inaugurated by the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki.

Obaseki highlighted the state’s audacious institutional reforms and the transition from analogue operations to e-governance.

He urged the heads of service to learn from each other and to strengthen public services in the region by leveraging technology, building capacity and embracing new ways of working.

Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, presented ‘Strategic Leadership in the Civil Service – Challenges, Opportunities’, followed by the convener, Joe Keshi, who moderated a session with all the heads of service.

During the session, participants agreed to draft the ‘Benin Declaration’, a roadmap for public services in the BRACED States over the next three years.