From Moshood Karim
At the recent 3-day strategy retreat for all Heads of Service of the BRACED Commission, Mr. Steve Oronsaye, the former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, delivered a compelling keynote address titled “Role of Permanent Secretaries in Changing Political Dynamics, The Past, Present, and Future.”
The event took place at the John Odigie-Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA) in Benin-City and focused on the theme “Leadership in the Public Sector: Strengthening Public Institutions.”
Oronsaye emphasized the need for public sector leaders to adopt innovative technology to overcome the bureaucratic challenges within the civil service.
He urged leaders to move beyond traditional bureaucratic skills and embrace technological advancements to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in public service delivery.
At the summit, Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State shared the success story of the State’s transformation in the civil service, highlighting institutional reforms and the transition from analog operations to e-governance.
He encouraged Heads of Service to collaborate and exchange ideas to drive innovative solutions in their respective domains.
Dr. Anthony Okungbowa, the Head of Service in Edo State, reported on the remarkable success of the digital transformation project, which has integrated over 36,000 staff members into the EdoGov ERP platform and facilitated more than 125,000 transactions.
The project also involved the establishment of a Tier 3 Data Centre with a Disaster Recovery site outside the state and the deployment of over 2000km of fiber optics broadband infrastructure.
The Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Professor Tunji Olaopa, presented on “Strategic Leadership in the Civil Service – Challenges, Opportunities,” while the Director-General of JOOPSA, Imuwahen Ajoonu, stressed the importance of collaboration and peer learning across the South-south States for sustainable economic growth.
Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the first governor of Edo State, commended JOOPSA for its efforts in upskilling civil and public servants and setting a standard for excellence in public service delivery.
The event also featured insights from Dr. Desmond Agbama, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communication and Orientation, who emphasized the importance of implementing the acquired skills in the workplace and holding officers accountable through performance evaluations and assigned responsibilities.
He said: “As Permanent Secretaries, it is our duty to ensure that officers apply the skills they acquire at JOOPSA to their work, and we will hold them accountable through performance evaluations and assigned responsibilities.”
Dignitaries from both the public and private sectors attended the event, further highlighting the significance and impact of the discussions on the future of public service in the country.
