NIEPA Hosts 2024 Third Quarter Global Ministerial SERVICOM Committee Meeting

The National Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) hosted the 2024 Third Quarter Global Ministerial SERVICOM Committee Meeting at its Ondo headquarters on Wednesday, September 25, 2024. This pivotal gathering brought together SERVICOM Focal Officers from across Nigeria to bolster the Service Compact (SERVICOM) initiative, a presidential mandate championing service excellence, accountability, and citizen-centric governance in Nigeria’s public service. According to Bodunde Tenabe, New Media Officer of the Institute, the meeting provided a vital platform for stakeholder engagement, knowledge sharing, collaboration, and strategic planning among SERVICOM Focal Officers. The ultimate goal was to drive progress toward enhanced service delivery and improved citizen experiences.

Dr. Yusuf Saeed, Chairman of the Global SERVICOM Ministerial Committee, praised NIEPA’s Chief Executive, Dr. David Shofoyeke, for transforming the Institute’s fortunes within a year. According to him, stakeholders in the Federal Ministry of Education were impressed by NIEPA’s progress in fulfilling its mandate on educational planning, policy, and administration in Nigeria and the sub-Saharan region. Dr. Saeed thanked NIEPA for hosting and urged SERVICOM Focal Officers to approach the meeting with an open mind, aiming for significant progress by the 4th Quarter meeting. He emphasized the committee’s commitment to ensuring responsive, accountable, proactive, and citizen-centric public service delivery.

In his welcome address, Acting Director General Dr. David Shofoyeke emphasized NIEPA’s focus on capacity building through comprehensive training and development programmes tailored for public servants, Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) with a strong emphasis on education planners and managers. These programmes aim to enhance skills and expertise, leading to effective educational policies, efficient resource management, innovative solutions, and programme evaluation. Dr. Shofoyeke noted that by equipping education planners and managers with necessary tools and expertise, NIEPA aims to create a ripple effect that improves service delivery across the entire public service. Shofoyeke affirmed that under the current management, NIEPA has achieved remarkable milestones, including the development of a Service Charter, Strategic Action Plan, and complaints resolution mechanisms. He urged the Focal Officers representing their various organizations to be good ambassadors of the Institute by ensuring that their capacity building needs are handled by NIEPA.

Expressing his deepest gratitude to the esteemed attendees for gracing the occasion, Registrar of the Institute Dr. Festus Olaolu acknowledged the significance of their presence, emphasizing that it underscored the importance of the gathering and the shared goals they sought to achieve. Olaolu alos recognized and praised the tireless efforts of the organizing team, whose meticulous planning and coordination ensured a seamless experience. He specifically commended Mr. Ugo Nwosu, NIEPA Focal Officer, for his unwavering commitment and expertise, and Mrs. Folayemi Akinladejo, LOC Chairman, for her exceptional leadership and guidance.

There were goodwill messages from Mrs. Kikelomo Olaniyan, SERVICOM Team C Lead, and Mrs. Esther Wuyah, Director of Special Duties at NECO to further underscore NIEPA’s mission and the collaborative spirit driving public service excellence.

The successful hosting of the meeting reinforced NIEPA’s commitment to enhancing public service delivery and its role as a catalyst for positive change in Nigeria’s education sector.