..We’re experiencing low patronage, says DG
..wants independence of Institute
By Busola Olarewaju
The Ondo State Head of Service, Pastor Kayode Ogundele has described the State’s Public Service Training Institute, PSTI IlaraMokin, as an investment that’ll last for generations.
According to him, the institute, which was established with the support of World Bank loan would not be allowed to go down the drain but be used for the purpose of its establishment which is training and retraining of the workforce.
The Head of Service said the above while playing host to the management of PSTI in his office on Tuesday.
He opined that if the institute kept performing below expectations, the investment would be of no use, and thereby stressed the need to nurture it to greatness to avoid becoming a wasteful resource in the future.
“I see PSTI as a baby we have to nurture to maturity and greatness; it was a Wolrld bank loan that was used to build that place and generations unborn will still have to bear out of the bond of what we used to build that place; secondly, It is an investment that is also going to be long lasting because it was specifically built for development of human capital and when you invest in human capital you are investing in the future.
“So if we don’t train with the money that has been invested on PSTI, PSTI will end up being sold by future generations if they’re not well-trained and feel the impact and effects of PSTI”. He said.
He however stressed the need for the institute to survive, and charged the staff to have a team spirit, cooperate and demonstrate selfless service.
The HoS assured that the institute would enjoy cooperation of his office.
Earlier in his address, the Director General of PSTI, Prophet Ekpobomini Baptist, had said that the purpose of the visit was to felicitate with the HoS for his appointment.
He lauded the remarkable action taken by the HoS by nominating him as his successor when he was redeployed from the institute to become the Head of Service, noting that such succession plan was commendable and worthy of emulation by Ministries Departments and Agencies for effective service delivery.
His words: “I’m not taking it for granted. I saw in that statement what sounded to me as a kind of succession plan which has come over years that only manifested in that your action. You didnot only nominate me to be redeployed to the PSTI but also to succeed you in that establishment,so to me, it’s a kind of succession plan which you introduced.
The PSTI Boss who expressed joy over the appointment of the personality of Pastor Ogundele to paddle the ship of Ondo State Public Service, affirmed that his tenure would definitely bring unprecedented development to the state civil service.
He assured that the good legacy the HoS left at the PSTI would be built upon, which had already started, as he prayed that God should strengthen him to bring transformational leadership to Ondo State.
According to him, the HoS had shown great concern for the public service over years and now is the time to put it in action in terms of great outcomes and measurable performances.
” I’m convinced that with the kind of cooperation on the part of the Accounting Officers and Permanent Secretaries, your tenure as Head of Service of Ondo State will indeed record remarkable achievements in the history of our great Sunshine State.
“It’s our prayers that the good Lord who had endowed you with wisdom and wealth of experience over the years will continue to strenthen you to pilot the ship of the public service. We believe strongly in you that you are the right person to fill this position to be able to bring transformational leadership to Ondo State.
Prophet Ekpobomini used the medium to inform the HoS of the situations at the institute, especially low patronage despite the commitment of the staff to duty, and urged him to use his office to convince MDAs and political office holders for patronage.
He lamented that despite the efforts of the institute to make people understand its purpose of establishment coupled the with enormous resources that were available for training and building the capacity of the workforce, PSTI still suffered neglect.
According to him, in an effort to fill the human capacity gap identified by the Reform programme , the institute went round public organisations in Ondo State to seek partnership for training and retraining of their workforce but the level of patronage still remained at a lower ebb.
“And we have the capacity at the moment to be able to do that. We have not less than 40 PhD holders and 7 Professors and other Masters degrees in our pool of resources and we believe with this pool we will be able to train the public service for it to be more result oriented and to be able to apply innovative approach to management in service delivery.
“But at the moment, the patronage has been so low and we are pleading that you will use the medium of your exalted office to emphasise the need for us to take ownership of the PSTI which the government has put in place for us to train and retrain workforce for them to be able to apply global best practices in service delivery and move the state forward”. He averred.
He informed the HoS how the institute lost the patronage of the BeMore Empowered Initiative of the First Lady this year due to increment in the bill of the Elizade University, and lamented the economic effect it had on the institute.
He informed the HoS about the progress of the ongoing executive management courses, and that the institute had added two more programmes and had entered into a memorandum of understanding with the federal University of Oye Ekiti to award degrees certificate.
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