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.
