flags off mandatory training programme for workers
President Muhammadu Buhari has urged the Nigerian civil service to support his administration’s vision to bring positive change that would bring greatness to the country.
The President stated this Monday in Abuja, while flagging off a two level comprehensive capacity building programme for all public servants across the country, known as ‘structured mandatory assessment-based training programme (SMAT-P) and the Leadership Enhancement and Development Programme (Lead-P),’ designed by the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoSF) to reposition public service for high productivity.
Buhari, who was represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the launch of the training programme, at the banquet hall of the State House Abuja, said civil servants remained critical foot soldiers in the present administration’s drive to sanitise all sectors of the economy through elimination of corruption.
“The federal civil service are the foot soldiers in our march to great destiny. An army cannot afford indiscipline, inefficiency, lack for capacity and lack of focus. The service must see itself as servants and facilitators of commerce and entrepreneurial-ship, designing policies and removing obstacles to doing business,” he said.
Buhari said the vision of his administration was to build a nation with the citizens as a focus, and the citizenry, regardless the status in life, must be respected by the governing authority and treated with dignity.
According to him, the technical competences of the Smart-P and Lead-P programmes, which aim at strengthening efficiency, must be learned within this context and paradigm in mind.
“Our society must be governed by the rule of law and administered by a trust worthy, fair and efficient judiciary. One that rigorously enforce standard of transparency in the conduct of public business, commerce and zero tolerance for corruption.
“We envision a bottom-up economic model that recognises in planning and budgeting the reality that the majority of Nigerians are extremely poor, fully supported by business friendly bureaucracy and policy.
“The model also envisages a robust social protection component, a sound knowledge based economy, relying on cutting age technology in governance and business,” he said.
President Buhari told the HoSF that while implementing the two programmes, “government must communicate the position that our anti-corruption and zero-tolerance stand is not merely a morale ethical stand but a developmental construct that recognises that corruption if not apprehended will destroy institutions, the economy and eventually, our society.
“How we handle corruption will make or mar our destiny as a nation,” the president said.
