Workers in the Ogun State Public and Civil Service, have been urged to take advantage of the innovations that will help them improve on service delivery, to enable government achieve its mantra.

Dr Nafiu Aigoro dropped this hint in Abeokuta, during a 2-day retreat organized for the staff of the Public Service Transformation Office (PSTO), with the theme “Public Service Reform: A Stronger Together for Service Delivery”.

The Head of Service, in a statement signed by Press Officer, PSTO, Mr. Ebunlomo Taiyese Okuwa, pointed out that workers have been able to justify the confidence reposed in them through efficient service delivery and greater impact on the State and the people.

In a lecture delivered by a retired Permanent Secretary in the State Civil Service, Mr. Afeez Osolase, stated that Public Service was a permanent government establishment and employees enjoy job security, noting that they remain intact, while government change periodically.

Osolase said to reform the Public Service to be more efficient, Public Servants should discharge their official duties diligently, fairly and justly, especially to all the people they are serving, without religious, gender, ethnic or any other sectional biases.

The retired Permanent Secretary added that Public Servants should neither disclose government official secrets nor speak to the press on government matters, except they are authorized by the political head supervising the Ministry or Agency.

“In fact, Public Service constitute the engine room, the brain box and stabiliser of the government. Public Service is a powerful instrument for development and must adapt to the rapidly changing conditions of our society and indeed, become the catalyst of that change or reform”, Osolase said.

In a virtual presentation, former Commissioner for Finance in the State, Mr. Kehinde Sogunle said Public Service reform involves efforts to eliminate poor organisation, irrational decision-making procedure and personal mismanagement, adding that weak accountability, ill-conceived public programme and overextension, among others, could affect Public Service reform.

“Indeed, recent public demands, as well as new challenges posed by fiscal constraints, necessitates innovative public-sector response, and there is a lack of information about public-sector innovation, including its outcomes, costs and enabling environment”, Sogunle said

Responding on behalf of the participants, Mrs. Ojurayo Olamide and Mr. Akinlola Akinbiyi, hailed the PSTO for organizing such retreat, admitting that it was an eye opener, pleading with the agency to sustain the training and retraining of staff.