By Violet Osatohanmwen Obamwonyi
Edo State Government as part of its efforts to reposition the state’s civil and public service, has organised a three-day training in Project Management for civil and public servants in the state in collaborating with the Project Management Institute (PMI) Nigeria. The event which commenced on March 15th 2023, had officers across the 72 Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) in attendance.
Delivering her opening remark, the Managing Director of the John Odigie Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA), Ms. Precious Imuwahen Ajoonu, appreciated the Governor of Edo State, His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki, for his unrelenting efforts in human capital development, affording those in the public sector the same exposure and training as their private sector counterparts.
According to Ajoonu, “To have a leader that is investing so much in training workers is worth commending. One of the reasons why people used to like working in the private sector, apart from the salary they offer, was because they training opportunities. They get various certifications in the course of their work which made them become more valuable. I must say that if you have an employer that is committed to training you like Governor Obaseki, honestly that person values you. It is the best gift anybody can give you”.
Speaking on why the State Government is collaborating with PMI Nigeria, Ajoonu said: “We are going to be rolling out series of training all through the year starting from these fundamentals of project management. We want people who are working in our MDAs to understand the principles of project management and how applying it can bring more value to the table. This would not be a three-day talkshow. His Excellency has told me that we should go back to the basics. We would fly as we progress, but we need to get the foundation right”.
“We have facilitators on ground and there would be global experts coming in to train us, all we are asking for is that you stay committed to your own evolution. Our hope is that as you continue to engage with JOOPSA, pay attention to the classes. Beyond getting the certificate you will grow and learn to deliver services more effectively and efficiently. In Edo State we do not play with excellence,” she added.
In his Lecture, the President of PMI, Nigerian Chapter, and Business Director at Astridia Global, Paul Omugbe, acknowledged that Edo State is lucky to have a Governor that is excellence-driven, as ideas that have given edge to the private sector over the years are now been introduced under his administration. He opined that project management is not just a skill for a profession but also a skill for life; applying it to our daily life in our individual project spaces would make the State better off.
Omugbe said: “Project management is very relevant; it is transient in the journey of life. How well you are able to prioritize amidst the scarce and limited resources available to produce value, reduce or eradicate projects failure in the State depends on how grounded you are in the principles of project management. Gone are the days when projects failure was promoted, encouraged and condoned without consequences. Every project manager is a change agent and must be adaptive”.
Mrs. Amanda Ayah, a participant at the event expressed her joy for the opportunity provided by the state government to be trained in project management. According to Ayah, “What I have to say about this training is that the people that were brought to teach us are very experienced in their field. They know their onions and they have been able to impart a lot of knowledge into us in the little time that we have. It is something that I really appreciate this administration for”.
Speaking on the benefits of the training, Ayah added: “It is going to benefit my MDA in such a way that we would be more competent, goal-oriented, succinctly aware of what we are doing and target-oriented. We would start looking out for the time frame of delivery, appreciate projects done on time and it would help us to save cost. I cannot say thank you enough to the Governor. Edo State Government has really done more than any state I can think about and I do not think that I would be able to have this kind of training elsewhere for free. It is free of charge just because am a civil servant. If I were to pay for it myself it would not have been easy. Besides I can now compete with my private sector counterparts”.
