Lagos State government on Tuesday commenced a month-long capacity workshop to bring the staffers of the State’s Unified Local Government Service into the reality of efficiency in the administration of the local government system in the state.
The capacity-building workshops opened with a two-day training session for top echelons of the administrative system, including officials on grade levels 15-17, with training sectioned into segments, and designed to have capacity sessions on effective communication, leadership qualities and strategies, among others.
The officials who fall within the director cadre of the Unified Local Government Service were to be taken through courses bordering on ‘Strategic Leadership’ which forms the theme of the workshop, facilitated by the State’s Local Government Establishments Training and Pension Office.
Chairman, Local Government Service Commission (LGSCOM), Hon. Kamal Bayewu, in his remark, called on the participants to optimise the benefits of the training, while productively utilising the same to give back to the State and the various LGAs.
Bayewu commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for the political will and support demonstrated towards the programme, assuring that more of such training would be sustained to vitalise the system.
In efforts towards boosting efficiency, the LGSCOM boss said continuous interaction, training, monitoring, had been put in place to facilitate the efficiency and effectiveness of the local government system in the state.
“What we have been doing now is to actually have a lot of workshops and one on one contact across the entire 57 LGAs/LCDAs. We have been able to bring together the political heads and the workforce; to let the political heads see to the welfare of the staff, and we have been able to convince the political heads to release funds for the training of the staff.
“We want to start from the directors up to the last cadre of our staff in the local government system. We expect that whatever they have learnt from here must reflect in what they are doing” he said.
Bayewu disclosed that about 8,600 staff had been promoted recently as an encouragement to boost motivation for efficiency, saying that those falling apart from standards would face disciplinary measures to put them on their toes.
“We are not going to have anybody being delayed unnecessarily to get their promotion as at when due. There is no how you want to have those you want to promote that you would not have at the same time, those you have to warn or to make fall in line if they are falling out of standards. For those that are having so many infractions, we would discipline them,” he said.
In her opening remark, the Permanent Secretary, Local Government Establishments, Training and Pension Office, Mrs Kikelomo Bolarinwa, said the one-month training would be sectioned to accommodate all cadres for the strategic training.
“This is the first training, I must say the Unified Local Governments would be enjoying this year and the first set of trainees are directors on grade levels 15-17,” she said.
According to her, the reason for the theme: “Strategic Leadership,” was chosen “because this (directors) set of employees are strategic managers in their respective local governments, and so they need to be equipped with the skills that are needed for leaders in charge of strategies.
“They need to have the right attitude so that they can help the government to translate its dream into reality,” she said.
According to her, the commitment of the stakeholders are strategic to fulfilling the mandate of the policy thrust of the Governor Sanwo-Olu- led administration- the THEMES Agenda.
Bolarinwa described the directors as engine rooms who would translate the policies and promises of political heads to reality, hence they “must have those skills and these training are intended to equip them with all they need to achieve the policy thrust of their various local governments.”
She said adequate representation from the 57 LGAs/LCDAs was ensured for broad engagement towards the end of helping the political appointees achieve their goals of offices.
“At the end of the day, we expect participants to go away with those skills that we have mentioned. We will expect that they would have been well equipped with those skills to function as strategists in their various LGs,” she said.
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