The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack has stated that skills training for public civil servants is key in enhancing governance in Nigeria.
Speaking at the end of the Aig-Imouhude Foundation training for civil servants in Abuja, Wal-Jack emphasised the importance of leadership training in driving service excellence in governance.
She commended the initiative for equipping public sector leaders with essential skills, knowledge, and mindset to drive innovation and excellence in public administration.
“This programme represents a significant milestone in our collective effort to strengthen the public sector and build a core of competent, ethical, and forward-thinking leaders who will drive transformative change in their respective organizations and communities.
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“Beyond the training received here, I am particularly pleased to note that some of the alumni of this very prestigious programme are already working with me in my office, contributing actively to various reform initiatives”.
The Head of Service, therefore, urged the participants to be ambassadors of good governance and apply the knowledge gained to improve public service delivery.
“With this training comes a greater expectation. Your institutions need your expertise, your innovation, and your commitment to excellence,” she added.
A former Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, in his remarks, underscored the critical role of an efficient civil service in national development.
“There is no real possibility of progress for a nation or government if its civil service, which is the real infrastructure for delivering public goods, is weak or inefficient,” Osinbajo stated.
He highlighted the importance of equipping public servants with the capacity to innovate, plan, and implement policies effectively, stressing that innovation is key to modern governance.
“The civil service holds the key to every nation’s success, not because civil servants are inherently special, but because by the very design of modern society, government is the legal and accepted vehicle that exists to make life better for the people,” he noted.
On her part, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, reaffirmed the foundation’s commitment to empowering public sector leaders with the necessary skills to tackle governance challenges.
“The AIG Public Leaders Programme has become more than just a contribution to the development of Nigeria and Africa’s public service. It has emerged as a game-changing initiative for building capacity within the civil service, both locally and across the continent,” she said.
She noted that through collaboration with the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford, the programme had produced four cohorts of exceptional public sector leaders equipped to navigate the complexities of modern governance.
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