Labour Ministry Upgrades Skills Of Resident Information Officers

AKOR SYLVESTER-Abuja

Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment has held a workshop to upgrade the skills of its Resident Information Officers, in the management of Government information and image.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Yerima Peter Tarfa, while flagging off the workshop, stated that it would renew and update the skills of the officers “in line with the trends and dynamics of new service delivery expectations in the information management space.”

Tarfa, represented by the Director, Reform Coordination and Service Improvement, Dr John Magbadelo, noted that the capacity-building was expected to essentially enhance the abilities and resolve the weaknesses of the Information officers for the overall purpose of improving their performance, for greater service delivery.

He pointed out that the workshop demonstrated Government’s commitment to the training and capacity-building of its workforce in the specific areas of their functions, aimed at satisfying particular service delivery expectations and demands of the public.

Tarfa added that “with increased service delivery demands from the public, it behoves on Government to equip its workforce with the right training to gain  the competence to satisfy those demands.”

The Permanent Secretary noted that capacity-building, organised around the peculiar services delivered by each department and unit in government organisations, would help government achieve excellent service delivery in all areas of its operation.

He said that “training is part of the efforts of Government in ensuring that civil servants in all cadres perform at their peak for increased productivity,” as it would give them the opportunity to acquire new knowledge, sharpen existing ones, and ultimately gain overall proficiency in their areas of operation.

Tarfa stated that Government relied on the Information Officers to feed the public with the true picture of its policies, programmes and activities, and also expected them “to mould public opinions, and counter negative perspective of government by presenting the true state of affairs in a timely, efficient and knowledgeable manner.

“And it is for the purpose of keeping you updated in the  knowledge needed to carry out your duties effectively and efficiently that this training is organised.”

The Permanent Secretary assured the participants that the training would bring them up to date with innovative and more efficient methods of performing their tasks for increased productivity, and more efficient and quality service delivery.

In welcoming the participants, Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations Unit of the Ministry, Charles Akpan, noted that the emerging trends in information dissemination called for frequent update, upgrade and renewal of skills of the information managers in Government employ.

He noted that Government information managers were now dealing with a more enlightened audience, who need real time information, and who also had alternative sources of information.

Akpan added that “he need for capacity-building has become more pressing, given the change in the expectations of the public.”

He stated that “Information Officers are posted from the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture to take charge of the Press and Public Relations Unit of Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), for the purpose of managing information in those organisations.”