During the opening ceremony of the 5-Day Professional Development Workshop for secretaries of ministries, departments, and agencies at Shield Hotel in Jalingo, Kefas said the training was one of the components of the ongoing strategic roadmap to not only repositioning the bureaucracy but also to get the staff, especially the secretaries, on board with the objectives and direction of his Moving Forward agenda.
According to him, at the end of the training, participants would be suitably prepared to adapt to the modern and emerging trends of bureaucracy and administration through the seminal papers that the workshops seasoned resource persons would present, which will cover a wide range of topics.
He said, “My goal is to transform and institutionalize a Civil Service in which everyone is adaptive and compliant in the areas of computer literacy in a bid to entrench an e-governance platform that will boost efficiency, eliminate bureaucratic red tape, and enhance transparency.
“This workshop promises to bring our secretaries up to date in line with my vision for the service. I can guarantee you that regular training seminars like this one will be extended to other cadres in the Civil Service as well.
“In my inaugural speech, I clearly stated that my administration will restore the integrity of the Civil Service which has been bastardized through favoritism and political considerations. We will give the Civil Service a better orientation to restore its professionalism.
“I am committed to this and in going this, we will be fair and firm as we act only in pursuance of public interest and Public Service Rule”. Therefore, as this administration stabilizes and puts its development plan into action, I ask for the steadfast support, loyalty, and collaboration of the whole Civil Service in implementing our strategies and goals.
“I will continue to place a high priority on your welfare because a happy workforce will be committed, diligent, and forward-thinking. ”
Earlier, the lead consultant to the training, a professor at of the Lagos State University, Prof. Francis Nchuchuwe, said the essence of the training was to equip Secretaries of ministries and agencies to become more effective.
He explained that the government was determined to ensure that the workforce was effective in implementing the policies of the administration.
