By Agbongiasede Gloria Uhunoma
As part of strategy to reform the State’s public service, Edo State Government through the Edo State Transformation and Enhancement Program (Edo S.T.E.P.), has engaged public servants in the State on a 5-day culture change training, with the theme ‘Skill to Improve Workplace Performance’.
The training which commenced on December 5, centred on teamwork, work-life balance, stress management, design thinking, amongst other performance training modules.
The training is a consolidation of the capacity building initiative of the Governor Godwin Obaseki administration, in the State’s public service. The administration has continued to show resilience in its pursuit of building a public service that is collaborative, resourceful and motivated; and imbibes a high-performance culture with optimum service delivery.
In his address at the event, the Edo State Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa Esq., noted that the program will aid public servants in the State in carrying out their duties effectively.
According to Okungbowa, “This journey is not a sprint but a marathon. We want to deliberately effect the change required. From this program you will learn to do what you are doing in a more impactful way. Our collective effort is needed to drive the current reforms we already see in the public service. I also want to thank the participants here today for their commitment to the Governor’s vision and decision to make these necessary changes”.
Also speaking at the event, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Strategy, Policy, Projects and Performance Management, Mrs. Sarah Ajose-Adeogun, noted that a culture change is necessary to achieve an effective public service.
Mrs. Ajose-Adeogun said: “The services civil servants render have a huge impact on the society at large. So when the public service is not working well, the society will be negatively affected, and that explains why we are where we are in Nigeria. To change this, we must embrace a cultural change, especially workers’ attitude to work, and this is what the Edo State Government is doing here today.
“The vision is to make Edo State the best place to live and prosper by the year 2050. Our goal for Edo State is to be a model for sub-nationals in Africa as a strategic driver of economic viability as well as social and infrastructural development. Civil and public servants, Edo citizens and other stakeholders are the key drivers in achieving the MEGA Vision”.
“The Edo 2050 plan can only be achieved if the long term drivers take ownership. The goal of the civil service transformation is to equip the service with adequate human capital resources and technology to enable public servants to successfully drive this vision”, Ajose-Adeogun added.
Dr. Steve Ojeh, former Human Resource Manager for SEPLAT and former IR Manager at Shell Nigeria, delivered the lecture on teamwork and interpersonal skills, life and workplace balance.
A working civil and public service is an important part of the quest to make Edo great again, and to achieve this, a positive workplace culture which fosters teamwork as well as increases productivity and efficiency must be the watchword.
