FCTA Pledges Commitment To Staff Training

FCT Permanent Secretary, Olusade Adesola delivering speech during the workshop

By: Nkechi Isa

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has reiterated its commitment to capacity building of its personnel to enhance productivity.

The Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola made this commitment, while declaring open a 2-Day workshop for top and middle management cadre of the FCT Emergency Management Agency,(FEMA) in Abuja.

The Permanent Secretary noted that knowledge and skills are working capital that personnel needs to drive home government policies and programmes.

His words: “It is for this reason that, I always prioritize opportunities for participation in capacity building initiatives of this nature”.

He enjoined the participants not to loose focus on the purpose of the workshop.

“It is organized to provide the knowledge required in our efforts towards achieving the mandate of our Organization FEMA. As drivers of this mandate, much is expected from you at the end of this programme”, he emphasized.

The Permanent Secretary said that FEMA has done credibly well in managing crises resulting from flooding this year and attributed this to regular training of its personnel.

“They have been working to minimize our risks. When you watch in other States; 500 graves washed away by flood, so, so number of persons washed away by flood, but because of the proactive steps of FEMA, we have been able to manage emergency crises resulting from flooding”, he added.

In her remarks, the Resident Representative, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung(KAS), a Non- Government Organization and programme sponsor, Ms Marija Peran, disclosed that the Foundation has 100 offices across the world and had been operating in Nigeria for 20 years.

She stated that the Foundation was in Nigeria to promote political reforms and security sector reforms.

Also speaking at the occasion, the Director-General of FEMA, Alhaji Abbas Idriss, noted that capacity building is relevant in a dynamic situation such as emergencies management, whereby there are different seasons and also Climate Change.

According to him: “The season you had yesterday is not the same as today. We need to update ourselves to ensure we are at par with the situation to be able to respond effectively”.
The workshop covered topics ranging from work ethics and values in public service, analysis of emergency management policies, public procurement and prospects, as well as distinguishing on-site and off – site emergency preparedness plan.

Other subject matters discussed were strategic communication in the management of emergencies, financial regulations in the public service, the banana peels, overlapping mandates among security agencies, understanding the Establishment Acts and dynamics of reforms in the pubic service.

The Director-General assured the Foundation that FEMA would justify the financial and human resource inputs involved in making the workshop possible.

“I want to assure you that this will be expressed in improved service delivery in areas of our operations both within the Agency and to the general public to whom we owe so much”, he reiterated.

Idriss also noted that in furtherance of the outcomes of the workshop and in line with recommendations by the resource persons that FEMA would build a working group in order to improve efficiency in emergency management system in the Federal Capital Territory.

He appreciated the facilitator of the workshop, Ministry of Budget and National Planning, the Sponsor Konrad Adenauer Stiftung(KAS) and the Minister of the FCT, the Minister of State as well as the Permanent Secretary for their contributions to the success of the workshop.