Enugu State Local Government Service Commission has commenced a two-day training workshop on Service Orientation and Work Ethics In The Local Government Bureaucracy for senior staff of the 17 council areas in the state at the Development Education Centre, Independence Layout, Enugu.

Declaring the event open, the Secretary To The State Government (SSG) Prof. Chidiebere Onyia urged the bureaucrats from the 17 local governments to henceforth conduct themselves professionally, transparently, and diligently in the discharge of their duties. He narrated and lamented the disgusting experiences over workers' nonchalant attitude to work during his tours of the local government areas and appealed to them to help the government of Barr. Peter Mbah, by taking their work seriously. 

"Governor Mbah is determined and committed to transforming and changing the face of the state in all ramifications as being witnessed across the state. He needs your support and cooperation. It is not acceptable and wise to pay people who are not adding any value every month," Prof. Onyia said. 

In his welcome address and opening remarks, the Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Osy Okanya, said that the training Workshop on Service Orientation and Work Ethics in the Commission is designed first as a clear demonstration of the strong Political Will, commitment and determination of the incumbent Commission to drive good governance and public service excellence at the local government level of Enugu State, and a clear indication of the Commission’s determination to engrave the pointed legacies of esteemed public service integrity and performance of the present political administration of Enugu State under the visionary stewardship of Dr Peter Ndubuisi Mbah for succeeding generations of our people. 

"As we all know, the outcome of the 2023 national election, which ushered in a new administration, led by Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, the Executive Governor of Enugu State, beckons yet another governance, and socioeconomic reform era, founded this time, on highly ambitious economic growth targets, underlain by seismic shifts in governance and socioeconomic strategy, such as has never been seen before.

"The new reform goals also recognize the profoundly vital objective of optimizing public service efficiency, operational performance, and innovation alongside transformative economic growth and development. The core mandate and vision of the new administration is to restore Enugu State to its lost glory, and fully realize the State’s latent potential to transform into Nigeria’s most remarkable industrialization success story and innovation powerhouse, through structural socioeconomic transformation. As an overarching corporate goal, the government aspires to achieve a citizen-centric and inclusive public service by innovating and transforming public service performance.

The strategic game-changer now is about galvanizing the mutual reinforcing interaction of responsible governance and public financial management, robust, inclusive, and sustainable technology-driven economic growth, resilient and private-sector inclusive infrastructural development as well as guaranteed peace and security of people and property.

"Secondly, this Workshop is organized in furtherance of the strategic vision of the Enugu State Local Government Service to be a ‘bureaucracy that is professional, proactive, and efficient and delivers effective support and advisory services to the Enugu State Local Government Councils’ and amplified by its mission to build a capable, disciplined and motivated workforce that will leverage a well-developed human ‘capital base, material resources, and modern technology to render excellent support services to the 17 Local Government Councils in the State’

Thirdly and more importantly, the Enugu State Local Government Bureaucracy has in the past few years witnessed a rising decline in discipline among staff which is easily indexed by the worrisome cases of truancy, insubordination, forgery, abandonment of duty, and other instances of official misconduct. For the above reasons, this workshop is expected to crystallize the following key objectives:
•    To facilitate the sharing of the new service directions and code of ethics in the Local Government System
•    To provide a platform for guidance to all senior personnel in the Local Government Service  regardless of their work assignment or responsibility
•    To upscale the sense of responsibility, mission, and service delivery and in that regard contribute to the positive image of the local government system in Enugu State
•    To facilitate a structured commitment by all staff to service code of conduct for the well-being of the local government system
•    Equip participants with the knowledge of how the environment can impact negatively on ethics in the workplace, and expose participants to the various policies and legal instruments that support positive work ethics in the public service," Prof. Okanya said.
   "The commission has assembled the most experienced hands in public service administration to facilitate this training workshop, and it is hoped that all participants will apply their time and energy in the next two days towards achieving the objectives of the workshop."

Topics for the training worship on day one of the event include Enugu State Local Government Service Strategic Goals In Perspective, by Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Osy Okanya.

Code Of Conduct And Work Ethics In Public Service by the Head of Service, Enugu State Government, Mr. Ken Ugwu and Documents Handling, Security And Safety Standards In Government Offices by the Principal Secretary To Enugu State Governor Ken Chukwuegbo.

Topics for the training workshop for day two include Legal provisions supporting Code of Conduct and Work Ethics, Internal and External Dimensions Of Staff Discipline,  Revenue Collection And Remittance In Local Government, and Observing Financial Rules In Local Government Administration. The Resource Persons include the former Vice Chancellor, of Coal City University, Enugu State, Prof. Malachy Okwueze, Chairman, Enugu State Civil Service Commission, Sir Robinson Odo, Senior Special Assistant to Enugu Governor on Revenue, Adenike Okebu, and Auditor General, Local Government, Enugu State, Dr. Joy Eze. 

Also present at event today were members of the Commission, which include Hon. Peter Nnaji, Hon. Dr. Eugene Odo, Hon. Igboji Ifeyinwa and Mr. Mbah Charles Maduka, Secretary to the Commission.