A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Consult to improve the capacity of elected public office holders to instill the values of good governance.
On Friday in Abuja, the MoU was signed on behalf of BPSR by its Director-General, Mr. Dasuki Arabi, and on behalf of UNILAG Consult by Prof. Mohammed Usman, Managing Director of University of Lagos Consult.
“The initiative is inspired on the need to ensure that newly elected officers are properly prepared for assumption of office,” Arabi said after signing the agreement.
He stated that the public officials would undergo intensive training in the fundamental principles and practises of governance.
They needed this, according to Arabi, in order to be prepared and comprehend how the public service functions.
The MoU, according to the director-general, is in line with the Bureau’s mission, particularly with regard to implementing the National Plan for Public Service Reforms, which calls for induction training for senior government personnel.
“The idea is to ensure that given the background of some of the appointees who were mainly drawn from the private sector, they are acquainted with the rudimentary knowledge on public governance in respect to their roles, relationship and responsibilities.
“This informed the decision of the Bureau to quickly embrace the proposal from the UNILAG Consult to conduct a wider training that will involve the induction of elected public officers such as state governors, deputies as well as members of state assemblies.”
He said that the induction will enable a smooth transition into their new roles and help them understand what to anticipate from their new offices.
“The proposed induction involving newly elected governors and deputies is expected to hold in the first week of May in Abuja, while that of the members of state assemblies will follow subsequently across the various geo-political zones.
“Curriculum for the training has been carefully selected to cover multi-disciplinary areas such as Procurement, Public Governance, Economic and Financial Crimes.
“Others are E- Governance, Freedom of Information, Investment and Internally Generated Revenue and the Open Government Partnership,” he added.
Responding, Usman, who was also the Chairman of the Technical Committee for the event, thanked all members and urged them to put out in their best for effective public service delivery.
He said so far, four sub-committees had been formed and they were performing excellently to ensure public service delivered on their mandate.
He named the committees to include that of Finance, Technical, Logistics and Publicity.
