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158 PUBLIC SERVANTS CERTIFIED AS CIPM HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONALS

As part of efforts to professionalise the Human Resources and Administration cadre in the Lagos State Public Service, the Lagos State Government in collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) has certified 158 Public Servants as Human Resource Management Professionals.

Speaking at the first CIPM induction ceremony for Public Servants in the State, organized by the Office of Transformation, Creativity and Innovation (OTCI) and the Public Service Staff Development Centre (PSSDC),  the Head of Service, Mrs Olabowale Ademola stated that one of the first decisions of the present administration at inception was to ensure that professional Human Resource Management practice was given a place of repute in the Public Service, in line with international best practices.

According to her, the induction ceremony was a culmination of previous efforts by the State Government to ensure that the Public Service does not lag behind on emerging issues on Human Capital Development and the professional practice of Human Resource Management.

She however commended the CIPM for their commitment towards fulfilling the desire of the State Government in professionalising the Human Resource Management (HRM) in the Public Service, especially, the induction of the first batch of Public Servants into Full membership and Associate of the Institute.

“As Ambassadors of the new HRM practice, I expect to see best practices in HRM reflecting in the Public Service, she said.”

Earlier, the CIPM President, Mr. Udom Uko Inoyo, FCIPM, while congratulating the inductees, restated that the occasion was indeed unique because it was the first induction of individuals in the Administrative and Human Resource Cadre of the Lagos State Public Service.

He added that for a true and sustainable transformation to take place in the country, a reform of the Public Service is inevitable. Therefore, he commended the Lagos State government for realizing this stride and effecting the changes in the State by building on Human Capacity.

Meanwhile, the Director General, Office of Transformation, Creativity and Innovation (OTCI), Mr. Toba Otusanya in his goodwill message recalled how the journey started 5years ago with a draft of the HRM Model by the Department for International Development (DFID) for the Public Service, having benchmarked organizations in the private sector, and mindful of what was happening in the Public Service.

According to him, the need for ‘the People Issue’ to be addressed informed the decision by the State Government to partner with the Institute known for Human Resource Management in Nigeria, the CIPM, to achieve the Vision and Policy Thrust of the State.

Otusanya added that as a unified service, the HRM had to be cascaded also to the Local Government in order to get the full benefit of this Reform process service wide.

“As HRM practitioners, as you go back to your various MDAs, it shouldn’t be business as usual. You must look at the HRM model and practice it, so that together, we can achieve the vision of Lagos State, he said.”

Similarly, the Director General, Public Service Staff Development Centre (PSSDC), Mrs. Olubunmi Fabamwo in her remark said that about a year ago, the state government requested that the Professional HRM should be practiced in the State, and that all the MDAs that had the responsibility should rise up to the challenge and achieve more for the State in terms of Excellent Service Delivery.

Fabamwo while thanking the State Government and the CIPM for the exercise, congratulated the inductees for being part of this success story.

Consequently, new members were formally admitted and inducted into the institute by the President and Chairman of Council, having taken their Oath of Allegiance and certified worthy to be admitted into the professional grade.

In a paper presentation titled “Towards Excellence in Service Delivery: The Role of HR”, the Speaker, Mr. Abiola Poopola, FCIPM, shared the kind of competencies HR Professionals should possess.

He added that excellence is not a destination but a journey, and as HR practitioners, they should always strive for excellence in rendering services to their customers.

He emphasized the need for them as HR Professionals to recognize that the world is a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) world; and as such, they should plan how to manage people since they are the corner stone of HR, using Vision, Understanding, Clarity and Agility (VUCA).

Having been presented with membership certificates, the inductees were admonished to be perpetual learners, invest in themselves, be proactive, creative, strategic, solution focused, build credibility and be good CIPM Ambassadors.

It would be recalled that the rational for the transition from General Administration to Human Resource Management (HRM) in Lagos State, was to achieve the vision of making Lagos State Africa’s model megacity and global economic and financial hub that is safe, secure, functional and productive.

However, this requires repositioning of mindsets and skills of workforce to ensure that the right people are in the right jobs, doing the right things at the right time.

The induction ceremony was well attended by the Head of Service, Mrs. Olabowale Ademola; Permanent Secretary, Public Service Office (PSO), Mr. Abiodun Bamgboye; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Establishments and Training, Mrs. Folashade Ogunnaike; CIPM President, Mr. Udom Uko Inoyo and other Executive Members of the CIPM.

 

Regina Igboji

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