Obaseki: Lack of selfless service putting Nigeria down

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has said lack of selfless service by Nigerians is affecting the nation in terms of development.

Obaseki said this during the commissioning of the John Odigie-Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOSPA), as part of activities marking the 84th birthday of the former governor.

“What is lacking today in Nigeria is that nobody wants to sacrifice for the good of the nation. It is if not me and my family, nobody else. But, society doesn’t work work that way to grow”

He said the academy named after Oyegun is a centre of excellence in capacity building positioned to transform civil/public service delivery and bridge knowledge gaps in pursuit of excellence.

“The state government embarked on the task of setting up the Academy on the premise that only a well-skilled workforce can drive meaningful and impactful change in governance. With the roll out of the state’s e-governance work mode, there was need for such a facility to upgrade the skill and knowledge base of the workforce to reflect the emerging realities in the workplace.

“The state is set to be the most digitized public service in Nigeria on account of the investment in digital infrastructure, having laid over 600km of fibre cable across the 18 Local Government Areas of the state.

“The Academy is named after the first Executive Governor of Edo state and former Permanent Secretary, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, who embodies the fine ethos of integrity, fidelity and excellence. “Obaseki said.

Obaseki added that the his administration is committed to investing in capacity building through JOOPSA so as to enable public servants to live up to the mandate of optimal services to the public as well as the horde of private investors rushing to take advantage of the conducive business climate in the state.

On his part, Former Head of Service of the Federation, Mr. Steve Oronsaye, said “without a motivated workforce, no administration can deliver on its mandate hence academy like this is needed.”

Oyegun expressed appreciation to all Edo People, particularly Obaseki for the honour done him by naming the Academy after him.

Director General, John Odigie-Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA), Precious Ajoonu, said the Academy was set up by the government as a learning and development institution, positioned to drive accelerated human capacity building within Edo State public service.