By Sylvia Kodilichukwu, Enugu
Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has tasked senior civil servants on directorate cadre to sustain the disruptive innovations and result-oriented governance already yielding positive fruits in the South-East state.
Mbah gave the task yesterday in Enugu while declaring open a three-day workshop for Directors and Deputy Directors in the state civil service.
The theme of the workshop is: ‘Fiscal Stewardship, Strategic Oversight, and Institutional Integrity in the Era of Disruptive Innovation’.
Represented by the Deputy Gov. Ifeanyi Ossai, the governor mandated senior civil servants to understand and internalise new ideas, policies and programmes meant to ensure prompt service and good governance delivery to the people.
According to him, “we need more of these workshops so that you understand government better and you know why we must deal with issues from a new approach to get new and better results.”
The Gov. added: “Disruptive innovations and embracing e-Governance is all about doing things from a new approach that embraces technology and innovation as well as doing things with empirical facts.
“We have virtually restructured all facets of Enugu State and we need your buy-in and your understanding so that you can explain government policies, programmes and projects better to the people.
“Apart from embracing e-Governance system fully, which eases work and leads to prompt delivery, the state is in the process of totally overhauling the civil service for increased productivity and sustainable growth henceforth.”
In a welcome address, State Head of Service, Dr Godwin Anigbo, said that the workshop remained a strategic vehicle for actualising the disruptive innovation mandate and visionary governing philosophy of Gov. Mbah.
Anigbo said: “Under his leadership, we have fully embraced the task of recalibrating the civil service into an agile, transparent, and technology-driven engine of growth.
“Through this deliberate digital revolution, we are already witnessing a transformative impact on our bureaucratic structures.
“I must, therefore, specially commend His Excellency, Dr Peter Mbah, for providing the platform, the sophisticated tools, and the visionary leadership necessary to reposition our service for the 21st century.”
On the theme, he said that it specifically targeted the directorate cadre, recognising the occupants’ indispensable role as the primary custodians of fiscal management and budgetary responsibility.
Responding, Director of Administration, Ministry of Chieftaincy, Mr Robinson Ezea, who is a participant, lauded the state government for organising the workshop and assembling renowned experts and industry leaders to lecture Directors.
Ezea, who is also Chairman, Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, noted that there was a need for civil servants to increase productivity and flow with government’s vision to move the state’s Gross Domestic Product to $30 billion.
“With increased productivity and result-oriented civil service workforce, government workers can have good grounds to demand for better welfare and conditions of service,” he said.
Another top civil servant, Director, Legal, Ministry of Justice, Juliet Okonkwo, thanked the government for various training on e-Governance, computer training and other programmes meant for upgrade and capacity building of civil servants.
The workshop was organised through the Office of the Head of Service in partnership with a firm, Citihoms Finance Ltd.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Some participants at the workshop.
