Obaseki honours John Oyegun, names public service academy after him

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Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State Governor, on Saturday, honoured the first Executive Governor of the state, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, with the commission of a civil service training institute, the John Odigie Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA), which he named after the elder statesman.

Governor Obaseki, at the commissioning of the academy, said that the institute was positioned to transform civil/public service delivery and bridge knowledge gaps in pursuit of excellence.

The governor added that the academy rested as a key fulcrum in the entire civil service reforms which he had been implementing in the past six years.

Obaseki said the academy, as a centre of excellence in capacity building, aimed at transforming the civil and public service into a nimble, functional and digitally-driven bureaucracy.

“The goal is to see that our workforce compete favourably with the best across the globe, with support from JOOPSA.

“The state government embarked on the task of setting up the John Odigie-Oyegun Public Service Academy on the premise that only a well-skilled workforce can drive meaningful and impactful change in governance. With the rollout of the state’s e-governance work model, there was need for such a facility to upgrade the skill and knowledge base of the workforce to reflect the emerging realities in the workplace.

“The state is set to be the most digitized public service in Nigeria on account of the investment in digital infrastructure, having laid over 600km of fibre cable across the 18 Local Government Areas of the state.

“The Academy is named after the first Executive Governor of Edo state and former Permanent Secretary, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, who embodies the fine ethos of integrity, fidelity and excellence.”

Obaseki added that his administration was committed to investing in capacity building through JOOPSA so as to enable public servants to live up to the mandate of optimal services to the public, as well as the horde of private investors rushing to take advantage of the conducive business climate in the state.

On his part, Former Head of Service of the Federation (HSF), Mr. Steve Oronsaye applauded the Obaseki led government for the initiative saying that, “without a motivated workforce, no administration can deliver on its mandate. This is why a place like this is needed.”

The honouree, Chief Oyegun, while speaking at the commissioning ceremony, said that the occasion couldn’t have come at a better time than his 84th birthday anniversary inauguration of the John Odigie-Oyegun public service academy which was also inaugurated to commemorate Chief Odigie-Oyegun’s 84th Birthday Anniversary,

He expressed appreciation to all Edo People, particularly Governor Obaseki for the honour done him by naming the academy after him.

In her remarks, the pioneer Director General JOOPSA), Precious Ajoonu, said the academy was set up by the government as a learning and development institution, positioned to drive accelerated human capacity building within Edo State public service.

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