•PSSDC has trained over 70,000 civil servants in career development, capacity building
From its uncertain past, the Public Service Staff Development Centre (PSSDC) — a civil servant training institute set up by the Lagos State Government in 1994 — has thrived through decades to become a valuable resource centre of the State’s civil service.
The Centre, on Friday, marked its 30th anniversary where Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu recalled tough decisions taken by successive administrations to keep the institute afloat.
Established with the mandate to facilitate career and capacity enhancement for staff between Grade Level 1-10, the institute has grown to become a centre delivering cutting-edge learning, training and development in the State’s public service with trackable impacts.
At the event marking its 30th anniversary held at the institute’s campus in Magodo, Sanwo-Olu recalled how successive administrations had resisted the pressure to repurpose the swathe of land on which the Centre sits for residential development.
The Governor noted that the institute had survived politics, intrigues and turbulence in the course of its operations, stressing that its tenacity to its guiding vision and the professionalism imparted on staff to enhance service delivery was the key factor behind its sustainability.
He said: “ I stand here truly proud of the heritage which the Public Service Staff Development Centre has turned out to be. The institute has worked tirelessly to project the vision and future which many people did not see during its formative years. Having stood strong for three decades, the Centre has become a symbol of professionalism and excellence in public service which can be showcased to other sub nationals to learn from.
“The institute has survived politics, intrigues and turbulence because of its tenacity to its guiding vision and the professionalism it has imparted on staff to enhance their capacity and scale up service delivery. We have preserved this institution and grown it to the level where its goals are irreversible. The Centre has had a pride of place internationally and I am delighted we didn’t succumb to ‘Magodo pressure’ to repurpose its land. I believe the future of the Centre is bright and will grow to be in the global league of best training institutes.”
The Centre, it was disclosed, had trained 70,000 staff members, who took over 100 courses offered for career advancement and capacity building.
Sanwo-Olu urged the institute’s management not to rest on its oars in building on the achievements made over the last 30 years, noting that the Centre must assess its performance and go through rediscovery in order to sustain its relevance in the State’s public service.
“The future is bright for the institute but it must continue to rediscover itself along the journey. If not, extinction is also a reality if the institute is not dynamic and effective. The management must look towards innovation and bring forward new ideas to improve its performance,” the Governor said.
PSSDC Director General, Adekunmilola Adio-Moses, said the Center’s mission had been on course, listing the milestones achieved over the years.
He said PSSDC had developed an institutional transformation plan, implementing organisational change and adopting a more focused approach to drive professional attitude to service delivery.
“In the areas of capacity building, we have built strong platform for learning and development programmes that will address competency gaps in transitional managerial levels within the Lagos State Public Service,” the Director-General said.
Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Mr. Afolabi Ayantayo, said the ministry had repositioned the institute, recognising that the attainment of government’s goals and objectives required a corps of highly skilled, knowledgeable and seasoned public servants.
“We have re-engineered the institute’s programmes to align with the policy thrust enunciated in the T.H.E.M.E.S Plus Agenda, ensuring that our interventions are responsive to the needs of the public service and the citizens we serve,” Ayantayo said.
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Head of Service, Mr. Bode Agoro, noted that the quality of programmes offered by the Centre had helped in revitalising processes, capacity and learning in the State’s civil service, validating the claim that Lagos public service operates with a private sector orientation.
Agoro said: “As PSSDC embarks on the next chapter, I charge the management to strengthen partnerships by fostering strategic collaborations to address emerging challenges and opportunities. The institute must leverage technology to enhance capacity building, service delivery and citizen engagement, while fostering a culture of innovation by encouraging creativity, experimentation, and continuous learning.”
