Nation

Let’s join forces to create an innovative public service, Ondo HoS charges public servants

The Ondo State Head of Service(HoS), Mr Bayo Philip has called on Public Servants in the state to partner him in building a virile Public Service that is innovative, using technology and data-driven processes.

Philip made the call on Tuesday while addressing the 17th edition of Change Ambassadors interactive session with the Head of Service held at the State Information Technology Agency(SITA) Hall in Akure, the state capital.

This was contained in a statement signed by Sina Adeyeye, Director Media, office of the HoS on in Akure.

According to Philip, it is the expected responsibility of Public Servants to deliver services that will have a meaningful impact on the society.

He charged them on the need to overcome barriers such as character deficits and unethical behaviours that can hinder their efficient and effective service delivery.

Philip said the work process can be improved by reducing the wait and response times, increasing transparency and accountability, ensuring customer satisfaction, enhancing innovation and creativity, and fostering collaboration and teamwork among other things.

Said he: “Today, we stand at the threshold of a new era in public service. An era where innovation meets compassion and progress meets inclusiveness. We gather to transform our public service, to make it more effective, efficient, and citizen-centric.

“As public servants and particularly Change Ambassadors, we are entrusted with a vital responsibility: to deliver services that make a meaningful impact on other staff and our citizens’ lives, but we know that our ability to deliver is contingent upon our ability to work efficiently and effectively.

“Today, I want to talk about process improvement in our public service. It’s about streamlining our workflows, eliminating unnecessary steps, and leveraging technology to enhance our work. Process improvement is not just about efficiency; it’s about effectiveness. It’s about ensuring that our services are apt, that we’re meeting the needs of our communities, and that we’re making a meaningful impact both individually and as a group.”

Earlier in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary in the State Public Service Reforms and Development, Adewale Omomowo hinted that regular interactive sessions with the Head of Service are one of the vehicles used to drive the series of reforms in the state public service.

He lauded the Change Ambassadors for living up to the expectation since the initiative began in the year 2020 as lots of successes had so far been recorded.

The event featured two lectures, ‘Harnessing the Power of Change for Organizational Transformation’ delivered by the Permanent Secretary of the State Agency for Transportation, Mr Femi Aladenola and ‘Small Scale Farming, Agricultural Productivity and Poverty Reduction among Civil Servants: The Enable Role of agriculture technology adoption’ by Engr. Caleb Olowojola, a Director in the state Ministry of Agriculture.