ABDUL-GANIYU OBATOYINBO CALLS FOR STRONG SUPPORT FOR PSIN
… as he receives the Central Bank of Nigeria Director on Capacity Development.

The Administrator/CEO of Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN), Dr. Abdul-Ganiyu Obatoyinbo has decried the poor funding of the Institute and appeals for strong support from Government and its Agencies.

The PSIN boss, made this statement while receiving Mrs. Chizoba Mojekwu,  (Director, Capacity Building), Central Bank of Nigeria and her team in his office.  He  highlighted inadequate funding as one of the major challenges affecting the institute and stressed the need for urgent support so as to effectively cope with the large clients which cuts across all MDAs as well as States and Local Governments. He noted that PSIN has the infrastructure that is capable of attracting international patronage if well funded.

The Administrator informed the Director that the Institute has developed several successful collaborations with some MDAs and State Governments as well as some Private Organisations.  This he said has resulted in tangible results as the Institute is now handling the training of their staff, conducting promotion examinations and interviews as well as consultancy to handle recruitments.

He however lamented the poor state of most of the facilities due to long neglect and the empty halls that could have served as state of the art lecture rooms.  Furthermore, the Administrator said that the Institute needed support to fund trainings and exchange programmes for staff  so as to build a strong work force that will drive the programmes and transform the Institute into a modern standard centre of learning in order to achieve on its mandate.

The Administrator appealed to the Central Bank of Nigeria to support the Institute in the provision of computers and rehabilitation of some of the structures.  He urged her to use her office to include PSIN in the CBN capacity building programmes by bringing some of their programmes to the Institute.

In her response, Mrs. Mojekwu expressed her appreciation in the way the administrator is bringing his private sector experience to bear in the running of the institute.  She however expressed disappointment at the lack of patronage and funding which has made most of the facilities to deteriorate.

Mrs. Mojekwu, however, urged the management of the institute to look inwards and come up with initiatives that will help make the institute very vibrant and successful. Adding that there is need to consider showcasing available facilities in the institute, create conducive atmosphere and rebrand  the institute to attract the public thereby generating revenues, which could be used for its maintenance.  Furthermore, she recommended sharing ideas with other certified training outfits for updates on effective management of the institute as well as marketing the potentials of the institute nationally and internationally to attract foreign funding and support on some of the programmes.

The Director called for a routine dialogue among certified training schools to explore ways of fine tuning training for the benefit of trainees, advising that training organisations should not be competitive, rather they should meet to harmonise their operations.

She suggested that Directors of Human Resource Management from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) should also meet regularly to discuss on proper implementation of departmental training in all sectors of government; while appropriate authorities should ensure that training for all political appointees and aides is mandatory.

The Director (Human Resources) Mr. El-Baff Mahdi, and the Director (Programmes) Mrs. Omobola Thomas, expressed appreciation to the Mrs. Mojekwu for putting things into perspective and assured that the PSIN team will be glad to work with her. Director (Programmes), however, noted the menace of quack training schools, which seem to dominate training programmes in the country and adversely affecting the existence and imput of the approved ones should be looked into. She also pointed out the problem of Tele- Conferencing as one of the areas of need in the institute that should be properly addressed.

Mrs. Mojekwu was accompanied by Mrs. Chinyere Nwobilor, Deputy Director (Administration), Capacity Building Development Department, CBN and Mr. Peter N. Shialsuk, Programme Officer, CBN International Training Institute (ITI).

Ekaete Umo

Head (Press and Public Relations)