Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to building a professional and globally competitive civil service with the sponsorship of 12 senior officers for an advanced leadership programme in the United Kingdom.

The officers, selected from key Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), recently completed a five-day executive training organised by Acme Professionals in partnership with the Institute of Government and Public Policy at Conference Aston, Aston University, Birmingham.

The programme, titled The Positive and Strategic Leadership, was designed to strengthen strategic thinking, emotional intelligence and change-management capabilities among top public sector decision-makers.

Participants were taken through intensive classroom sessions covering strategic leadership fundamentals, transformational leadership, emotional intelligence and institutional reform.

The training also featured study visits to public institutions in Birmingham and London, exposing the officers to practical governance models, policy innovation frameworks and citizen-focused leadership practices.

Speaking on the importance of the initiative, the Head of Service of Oyo State, Mrs Olubunmi Oni, described the programme as a reflection of Governor Makinde’s deliberate investment in human capital development.

According to her, the administration’s continuous support for international exposure and capacity building has been instrumental in repositioning the state’s civil service for efficiency and professionalism.

“Governor Makinde has consistently demonstrated his passion for a competent and professional civil service. We are confident that the knowledge and skills acquired during this programme will translate into improved service delivery and better outcomes for the people of Oyo State,” she said.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of Acme Professionals, Alhaji Olalere Wahab, commended the governor for his vision and commitment to excellence in governance.

He praised the participants for their discipline, cooperation and contributions to the success of the programme, urging them to deploy the lessons learnt to enhance productivity in their respective offices.

“This training is an opportunity for the officers to redefine leadership within the public service. I encourage them to maximise the exposure and apply the insights gained to improve efficiency and performance,” Wahab said.

The beneficiaries of the programme, in separate remarks, expressed appreciation to the Makinde-led administration for the opportunity to participate in the international training, describing it as timely and impactful.

They pledged to utilise the skills and global perspectives acquired to support institutional reforms and contribute meaningfully to the socio-economic development of Oyo State.

In a bid to address the economic challenges faced by his constituents, Hon. Olafisoye Akinmoyede Wasiu, representing Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency in Oyo State, has unveiled plans to empower over 2000 individuals.

Better known as “Lafi,” the Member of the House of Representatives revealed this initiative in a statement provided to the press.

Scheduled for Tuesday, April 30th, 2024, the Economic Empowerment Programme will commence at 9 a.m. at the Faith Joe Civic Center, situated beside Community High School, Alegongo, Ibadan.

Olafisoye, who also chairs the House Committee on Nigeria/Mexico Parliamentary Friendship, underscored that the programme aims to mitigate the adverse effects experienced by constituents following the removal of fuel subsidies by the federal government last year.

Highlighting the significance of the initiative, the lawmaker emphasized its focus on enhancing the standard of living for beneficiaries within the Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency.

Moreover, he expressed the programme’s broader objective of alleviating hardship and combating starvation among constituents.

The event is expected to draw various dignitaries, including the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Barr. Issac Ajiboye Omodewu, alongside members of the state working committee.

Also anticipated are traditional and religious leaders from the Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency, as well as representatives from local markets, artisans, security agencies, and APC members within the constituency.

The Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria (AMBCN) South-East chapter, has said it is set to withdraw its services from July 13, as directed by its national body.

The Zonal Chairman of the association, Chief Dominic Nwibe made this known in an interview with NAN on Wednesday in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.

Recall that the National President of AMBCN, Malam Mansur Umar had also said members would begin a two-week strike from July 13, citing an increase in prices of bakery materials.

Following the directive, Chief Dominic said, “We had a zonal meeting in Abakaliki and decided to follow the directive which is supposed to last for two weeks.

“A bag of baking flour which hitherto cost N25,000 presently cost N28,000 and it is worrisome that it will keep increasing.

“A bag of sugar which hitherto cost N9,000 presently cost N30,000 while 20 litres of groundnut oil costs about N20,000″.

According to him, the members felt it was unnecessary to keep increasing the prices of bakery products such as bread to the detriment of customers.

“The customers would feel that we are greedy and we want to let the federal government know that the situation has become unbearable.

“We are asking for the liberalisation of the sugar importation process to break the monopoly by two or three firms.

“These firms import sugar and control its price mechanisms as the withdrawal of services will make our customers know we are telling the truth on reasons for price increases,” he added.

The zonal chairman regretted that the authorities blamed the high cost of materials on the economic effects of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

“We don’t see any justification to this assertion as flour for instance, can be sourced from nearby countries,” he said.

Also speaking, the south east Zonal Secretary of the association, Mr Okey Ezeanata said that bakers have been seriously affected by the development as most of them have closed shops”.

“The market forces have been unfair to us and as the time we increased prices of products in April till present, there have been several changes.

“We urge the federal government to allow mass participation in our materials’ importation process just like in the telecommunication sector,” he said.

NAN reports that the association alleged that the National Wheat Cultivation Committee already constituted is yet to be inaugurated after over one year.