Head of Service in Ekiti State, Mrs Peju Babafemi, has charged all Public Officers in the state to leverage on technology and show competency and display high level of efficiency in their various duties.
Babafemi made this statement during an award ceremony to some Cash Transfer Facilitators by a scholar in partial fulfilment of Capstone Project on African Initiative for Governance (AIG) Public Leaders Programme in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital
The Head of Service, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Establishment and Service Matters, Mr Opeyemi Abayomi, said the AIG unique programme offers senior public servants an immersive executive education experience aimed at strengthening the skills they need to build cultures of excellence, effectiveness and integrity throughout the institution they lead.
The scholar, Mrs Oyinade Olatunbosun, who doubles as the organiser of the award programme, is one of the public servants who succeeded in the exercise and represents the state at the African Initiative for Governance. The programme is a collaboration between AIG and the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.
She said graduates from the school are trained to enhance their countries’ development through improved governance and public policy creation.
“The programme is designed to equip senior public servants to master a range of new skills as quickly as possible.”
According to her, she embarked on the project to encourage effectiveness and improve the competence of the Cash Transfer Facilitators on the National Cash Transfer Programme.
She added that the objective of the programme is the elevation of targeted poor and vulnerable persons out of poverty, saying that the five awardees selected had put their best in ensuring a reduction in poverty in the state and the process of selection was free and unbiased.
Olatunbosun appreciated the state government, the Head of Service and stakeholders for their support while encouraging more public servants to apply in the next rounds of selection to have a robust and formidable team for the turn around of Ekiti State civil service.
She also appreciated AIG for the laudable programme.
One of the awardees, Mr Micheal Olofintola, appreciated the organiser of the event, particularly for choosing to do her project at the Cash Transfer Office and for rewarding hardwork.
He promised that they would continue to work hard to showcase competence among the public servant, adding that the gesture was not common at the local government, hence it would encourage other colleagues to buckle down.
Dignitaries at the award presentation included the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Wale Fapohunda, Senior Assistance to the State Governor on Social Investment Programme, Mr Sunday Adunmo, Head of Unit, Ekiti State Cash Transfer Unit, Mr Tayo Adeokin, among others.