The Delta State Local Government Service Commission Chairman, Hon.(Pst)Joseph Otirhue has called on officers of the Unified Local Government Service to translate government policies into practical benefits for our communities.
The Commission Boss made this call during the training workshop/seminar,organised by the Commission in collaboration with Fabock Ventures at the Chike Edozien Secretariat in Asaba.
In his welcome address to Education Officers, Community Development Officers and Health Educators, who are the target audience of the training workshop, the Chairman said the seminar was designed to strengthen the the capacity of the officers in planning administration and supervision in Local Government.
He added that these three ,are the key pillars for effective service delivery at the grassroots. The Chairman in his speech said, participants play a critical role in translating government policies to practical benefits and as such, the quality of planning they undertake and the effectiveness of their administration as well as supervision,largely determine the success or failure of programmes at the grassroots level.
furthermore, the Commission Chairman said planning is the foundation of good governance stressing that without proper planning, even the best intentions will fail.He added that good planning helps to eliminate wastage, duplication of efforts and abandoned projects, he therefore enjoined the officers to embrace people-oriented planning in the discharge of their duties.
Speaking further, Otirhue reiterated that, the Local Government system remains the closest tier of government to the people therefore, it is important to place administration as a top priority because it involves coordination of human,financial and material resources to achieve set goals ,he advised that, as officers, they must demonstrate professionalism,transparency and accountability in the management of public resources.
He stressed that effective administration requires adherence to rules and regulations, proper record keeping,timely reporting and good interpersonal relations with colleagues and stakeholders.
Moving further, the Commission Chairman emphasised that, supervision is a tool which ensures that plans and policies were properly implemented through regular monitoring in order to identify lapses as well as taking corrective measures at an early stage. He added that supervision should not be seen as fault-finding but as a supportive process aimed at improving performance and ensuring that standards are maintained in schools, health facilities and community projects.
Otirhue who reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment in building the capacity of officers, promoting efficiency and professionalism opined that, the challenges facing Local government administration require innovative,disciplined and committed officers to handle them, hence the Commission had been investing so much resources into training her workforce.
He said the Commission expects that, the knowledge and skills, acquired by participants during the training programme be practically applied in their various respective duty posts for improved service delivery and sustainable development at the grassroots.
The seminar themed “Planning ,Administration and Supervision in the Local Government Education System ” was well attended by participants and had seasoned Resource persons who took participants through topics such as “Qualities, Duties and Responsibilities of Effective Education Officers “,Planning and Monitoring Tips for Local Government Officers and Supervision Techniques for Local Government Officers” amongst others.
