Lagos State Government has kicked off the second batch of training on personnel management fundamentals for Unified Local Government Service.
The training, which commenced today at the Zone Hall and Event Centre, Gbagada is being facilitated by the Local Government Establishments, Training and Pensions Office.
Speaking at the event, Commissioner I, in the Local Government Service Commission, Engr. Abiodun Orekoya said the training was in fulfilment of the promise by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration to make the personnel one of the best in the Unified Public Service.
He said: “The State Government is out to change the face of service delivery at the Local Government level and officers must be appropriately trained to respond to the needs of grassroots administration. We hold true to the popular saying, ‘If you don’t train them, don’t blame them’”.
“We believe that Local Government personnel must also change their perception and disposition to work. Opportunities abound service-wide and our people must look beyond their current level as the Local Council is not the end of their career”, he stated.
Orekoya charged the trainees to reciprocate the gesture by taking lessons learnt back to bear on duties in their various offices while emphasising the imperatives for personnel to improve themselves on their jobs. He also assured that the Government will always protect and promote the interest of staff.
The Permanent Secretary, Local Government Establishments, Training and Pensions Office, Mrs. Kikelomo Bolarinwa, said that the training for the second batch of personnel was to change the mindset of personnel and bring service standards at the Local Government Councils to par with the mainstream service while correcting the general notion that the Councils are non-performing and unserious.
Her words: “The training will enable the staff to review and achieve the goals set for the Local Government, as well as have an objective appraisal of services being rendered, by setting targets and measuring same with performance outcomes. This will make it a win-win situation as the government and the governed will feel the impact of local administration”.
Mrs. Bolarinwa revealed that participants were drawn from all the Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas (LG/LCDAs) cutting across different cadres, as she charged the trainees to learn, unlearn and relearn.
One of the trainees and Assistant Chief Administrative Officer, Ikosi-Isheri LCDA, Mr. Olubunmi Sobodu, affirmed that the training has exposed him and others to an understanding of measurement and management of performance.
“It has been a while that such training was organised and this opportunity will help develop human capital leading to improved service delivery as the more we invest in people, the better the performance we get from them”, he said.
