Ajimobi counsels workers on positive mental attitude, ethical standards

GOVERNOR Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has urged workers in the state to cultivate positive mental attitude and strong work ethics in the discharge of their duties.

The governor made the remark in Ibadan on Tuesday at a capacity development programme for management and senior staff in the state’s civil service.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two-day training initiative was entitled: “Work Ethics and Attitudinal Change for Effective and Efficient Service Delivery.”

NAN also reports that the seminar was part of the initiatives to boost the ongoing civil service reform by the current administration in the state.

Ajimobi said that positive mental attitude and strong ethical standard enhance effectiveness, efficiency and professionalism.

“Positive mental attitude to work enhances worker’s efficiency, effectiveness and professionalism; our workers must think positive and big.

“By displaying positive attitude toward work, we shall get work done promptly and raise our level of productivity,’’ he said.

The governor said research had shown a close link between extant human resource capacity and efficiency of an organisation.

He said that capacity building through training, seminars and workshops ensure that workers possess the right knowledge and skills.

“The knowledge and skills acquired will equip them to take on new responsibilities and adapt to changes in any reform or transformation process,” he said.

Ajimobi said that his administration had embarked on a restructuring exercise comprising of rationalisation and realignment of MDAs as well as verification of staff certificates and manpower audit.

He said that the exercise was to ascertain the size of the workforce and eliminate ghost workers in the civil service.

The governor stated that no fewer than 16,000 public servants, including members of the teaching staff, benefitted from various training programmes.

“We have also embarked on the development of a human resource policy to guide our capacity building initiatives in the state.

“All these activities are geared toward the enthronement of a public service that is motivated, disciplined, skilled and resourceful,” he said.

Ajimobi reiterated his administration’s commitment to the welfare of workers in the state and all its promises to restore the glory of the state’s civil service.

He urged public servants to live up to expectations in terms of embracing positive attitude and upholding high ethical standards.

“The tremendous development of infrastructure across the state is a strong part of our administration’s transformation agenda. We will not relent on these efforts.

“I am transforming Oyo State because it is where I love and want to stay,” he said.

Similarly, Mr Soji Eniade, the state’s Head of Service, said that the training programme was aimed at improving the quality of the civil service and rightly positioning the service for the future.

Eniade stated that the prevailing situation in the service of the state had made it necessary to organise the training which he said was an integral part of the ongoing restructuring process.

He said that the programme was also to address the issue of poor attitude and low ethical value in the service.

Eniade said the ultimate aim was to ensure that a policy document on attitudinal and ethical standard emerged in the civil and public service of the state.

NAN reports that the opening ceremony was attended by members of the State Executive Council, senior management staff in the civil service.

A seminar for the junior management staff would hold on Wednesday.