The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF), Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, has decried the deficits in human capacity building and development in the Civil Service and the country at large, saying there is urgent need to correct the situation.
She said this in Abuja on Thursday at the opening ceremony of a two-day Training Programme on Protocol Procedures for Official and Public Functions.
Oyo-Ita, who was represented by the Director, Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), in her office, Mrs Anne Attah, said the training was organised to enlighten participants on the issue of Protocol Procedure for Official Functions and to learn best practices in image making.
Seventy participants across the Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) attended the training as the pilot batch.
“At the bedrock of implementing the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan is the issue of capacity building as human capital is the greatest resource the country has, even above oil. The civil service over the years has been faced with capacity deficit and I am afraid it may get worse if the challenge was not diligently tackled.
“As protocol officers you are also the image makers of the service and country. A little slip in protocol application and etiquette can become a monumental national embarrassment.
“As the popular maxim goes: ‘if you don’t train them, don’t blame them.’ I am happy the process of discharging our own part by delivering training has started with this batch,” she said.
She warned the participants to make the best use of the training as they would be held accountable for any protocol slip after the programme.
On his part, the Executive Director, NOLKIN Consulting, Ambassador Akin Oyateru, said the training was to restore the lost glory in protocol procedure.
Oyateru, who was the facilitator of the training, added that over the years some deficiencies have been noticed in protocol practice hence the need to bridge that gap to boost service delivery.
“Protocol was an essential image making tool and a mechanism through which an organisation was presented to the world and trainings were the hall mark of any successful civil service,” he said.
A participant and the protocol officer to the Permanent Secretary, Special Services Office, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), Kabir Sanusi, said the training was educating and enlightening.
“The training was unique, and we thanked the Head of Service for organizing it,” Sanusi said.
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