A-two-day Executive Council Retreat with the Theme;”Sustaining Momentum: Accelerating Execution”, organized for Members of the enlarged Abia State Exco has rolled off the ground at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia.
Addressing the participants, Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti who titled his speech “Eyes on the Ball” said the retreat aims at identifying operational bottlenecks and proffering solutions to ensure effective governance.
He charged them to develop a robust and sustainable template for the execution of the State’s strategic governance targets for the year 2025.
The State Chief Executive noted that the retreat has been packaged to bring certain operational outcomes to the fore and ultimately act as a guide to new ways of overcoming obstacles that stand in the way of the path to effective execution.
While restating his administration’s commitment to raising governance standards, Dr Otti enjoined participants to approach their assignments with renewed urgency, bearing in mind the high expectations from the people.
Speaking earlier, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Kenneth Kalu, said the retreat also provides an opportunity for participants to reflect on the past and map out strategies to move towards achieving the goals of the present administration and warned them against becoming satisfied at the level they find themselves at present.
In his paper presentation titled, “Enhancing Public Service Through Efficiency, Accountability, Transparency and Impactful Reforms”, a former Head of Service of the Federation, Mr. Stephen Oronsaye pointed out that some challenges in the service including lack of capacity, accountability and transparency have noaffected effective service delivery and recommended capacity building, conducive work environment, contract appointments to fill certain gaps in the service.
He called for concerted collaboration between the Civil Service Commission and the Office of the Head of Service, pointing out that the friction between the public and civil servants could be minimised by acknowledging that they are working to achieve a goal.
In their reactions, some participants including the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Sir Chris Onwuegbu and his Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning counterpart, Lady Ugonma Jimonu, thanked Governor Alex Otti for the retreat and expressed the hope that it would reduce conflicts between political appointees and the bureaucrats.
