I WILL DELIVER MANDATE, SAYS PSIN CEO AT 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

YENEGOA, Bayelsa, Nigeria – The Chief Executive Officer of the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN), Dr. Abdul-Ganiyu Obatoyinbo, has pledged to remain committed and focused in delivering his mandate of transforming the organisation to becoming a world class centre of excellence. The PSIN CEO had on assumption of office said he came “with the vigor and enthusiasm to work as a team with staff and make good progress and excel”. One year after, the man who walks the talk has kept the flame alive and has remained resolute in his promise.

Obatoyinbo, during an interactive session with staff and journalists in Abuja as he clocked one year in office, said he would remain focussed and committed to putting the PSIN in global map of civil service literature.

A statement by the PSIN’s Head (Press & Public Relations), Ekaete Umo, said a team player, Obatoyinbo, for the past 12 months has worked assiduously, engaging staff, critical stakeholders, partners (Local and International) in his efforts to reposition, transform, rebrand and launch the Institute for Profitability, Proficiency and to be Value Driven not just in Nigeria but globally.

In his account of stewardship, Obatoyinbo said that within the one year, a lot of activities has been initiated in the area of infrastructural development to reposition the Institute.

He said so much efforts have been put in to give the PAIN a face lift by working on the main gate, the parameter fence, the reception as well as ensuring that the environment was well maintained. According to him, with the support of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, he has been able to resuscitate moribund structures and renovate dilapidated buildings while security has been given top priority.

Obatoyinbo in addition said that with the increase in activities and patronage in the Institute, some of the facilities needed to be upgraded which is why an additional borehole was necessary. As part of the process to reposition the Institute, the Administrator said the curriculum was reviewed to include courses in the area of Entrepreneurship, Pre-Retirement Programmes and Vocational Skills so as to make the Institute relevant in today’s scheme of things.

He recalled that the Head of the Civil service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita assumed office with a resolve to transform the Public Service. This transformation process he added, gave birth to the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP), approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

Obatoyinbo said that PSIN occupies a prime position in the implementation of the Strategic Plan of the Head of Service because of its core mandate to provide competency-based and demand driven training to Public Servants which fits the Institute into priority 1 of the Strategic plan which is to re-design and re-launch 3-core-training modules, as well as 5 other priority areas.

He stressed that every action taken was meant to position the Institute to take the centre stage in the implementation process of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan.

Obatoyinbo said that training modules had been developed to include aspects of the strategic plan of the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation so as to bring out Efficient, Productive, Incorruptible and Citizen-Centred (EPIC) Civil Servants.

He said that with the recent commissioning of 80 seater Computer-Based Test Centre (CBT) donated by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) by the Head of Service, the PSIN now has over 250 computers.

In the area of transformation, the Administrator said that having identified the needed change, a new Strategic Plan Document has been developed with a vision and a mission that will help guide the transformation process of the Institute for the next 5 years. He said that as a training institute under the supervision of the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, the Strategic Plan of the PSIN is in tandem with the Strategic Plan of the Head of Service.

Obatoyinbo stated that the procedures and processes in the Strategic Plan of the Institute are aimed at ensuring the successful implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan.

The CEO said the PSIN recognises manpower as a vital tool in any organisation, adding that as drivers of the transformation process of the HoS, staff of the Institute have been equipped and repositioned to understand and move with the change through capacity building and skills transfer such that at the end of the day, PSIN will move from “an Institute” to “the Institute”.

Obatoyinbo emphasised that at PSIN, every activity is targeted at meeting the needs of clients, adding that the world is evolving and PSIN cannot afford to be left behind as such programmes are tailored to close the training gaps in MDAs to enable the Institute fit successfully into their training plans.

He said that for the most part of the first year, a lot has been committed to reaching out to prospective clients and partners, both locally and internationally, to launch the Institute adding that the media has been a strong ally in the mission for which he has been grateful, adding that but as Oliver Twist, he would still solicit for more coverage to get PSIN the desired visibility.

He disclosed that so far efforts to reach out to prospective clients and partners have yielded tremendous results with client base of over 50 MDAs, States, Donor Agencies, Financial Institutions, International Agencies as the figure continues to rise.

Presently, he said the Institute has finalised arrangements for the movements of over 60 Senior Government Officials from the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita to Heads of Service and Commissioners in States for a bench-marking study tour to Malaysia and Singapore.
In a few days he added, some staff, ACBF and other stakeholders will commence activities on the Processes and Procedures in the implementation of the Strategic Plan.

On the whole, the Administrator said, the Institute through this renewed vigour now enjoys increased patronage as his team relentlessly continues on the drive to put PSIN on top of every training chart of all MDAs. He expressed appreciation to the management and staff of PSIN for their support and cooperation, dedication and hard work, adding that their teamwork and relentless efforts has brought the Institute to where it is at present.