NYSC trains protocol officers on operational efficiency

THE National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) says it is training its protocol officers across the country for the purpose of operational efficiency in the scheme.

Brig-Gen Suleiman Kazaure, the Director-General of the scheme, said this in Abuja on Thursday at the opening of the workshop.

Kazaure said that the training was in furtherance of management commitment to enhance the competence of staff for efficiency.

He said that the peculiar nature of NYSC operations made it necessary for the scheme to stage various events, including the training for protocol officers that would help meet the yearnings of the people.

“Management places premium on standard and excellence in the handling of events as the success and otherwise had implications for the image of the scheme,’’ he said.

Kazaure said that the NYSC play host to important personalities, including high ranking government officials at such events.

He noted that as officers saddled with the task of managing such events, the onus rested on the protocol officers to ensure that the outings conform to acceptable standard.

“During events hosted by the NYSC in recent times and in the course of my tour of orientation camps, I personally observed commendable performance by many of you in many areas,’’ he said.

According to him, the areas include venue arrangement, reception for guest, observation of order of protocol as well as anchoring and ordering of events.

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He, however, said that like in other human endeavours, there was the need to embrace new ideas in the scheme’s approach to event management so as to be in conformity with global best practices.

Kazaure said that training and re-training of staff for optimal performance and productivity remained the focal areas of his administration.

Earlier, Mr Adetayo Haastrup, Chairman, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Abuja chapter and the guest lecturer, said that protocol was established to take care of certain formalities and courteous mode of behaviour.

He said that there was a need to up the performance of protocol officers in the scheme, adding that their duties must be discharged with professionalism, while urging them to imbibe the culture of professional development.

Haastrup said that the trainees must ensure the justification of the resources spent by the NYSC, stressing that the job of protocol officers should not be done under emotion but they should be happy while doing it.

He said that protocol officers must be part of the management, they must be seen to be happy doing the job and they must not be tempted to do anything untoward.