The Chairman of the Ekiti State Local Government Service Commission, Mr. Samuel Adewumi Abejide,has charged Directors of Information and Community Development in the State to live up to their responsibilities as the voice and bridge between government and the people at the grassroots.
The Chairman gave the charge while declaring open a 2-day Capacity Building Workshop for Information and Community Development Directors across the 38 Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas of the State.
The workshop, themed “Strengthening Information Management, Community Engagement and Participatory Development for Effective Local Government Service Delivery,”was held at Ado-Ekiti.
Represented by a Commissioner in the Commission, Mr. Wole Olujobi, the Chairman said Local Government remains the tier of government closest to the people, with the mandate to foster development, deliver responsive services and build trust. 
He noted that Directors of Information are the voice of the Local Government, stressing that without their effective reporting, government’s achievements in their localities will go unnoticed. He added that proper information management ensures sound policy formulation through timely and accurate data.
The chairman described Directors of Community Development as the bridge between government and the people, emphasizing that listening to the needs of the people is essential for building public trust and ensuring peace.
“You cannot adequately develop the community you do not engage. Participatory development entails involving local communities in project planning, execution and monitoring to ensure sustainability and foster local ownership,” he said.
Mr. Abejide said the workshop was carefully structured to equip participants with up-to-date knowledge and competence required as key players in grassroots development.
He expressed the profound gratitude of the Commission to the Governor of Ekiti State, His Excellency, Mr. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, for his unparalleled and continuous investment in human capital development for efficient service delivery in the Local Government system.
The commission’s boss also appreciated the resource persons for accepting to share their wealth of knowledge and urged participants to take the training seriously and translate knowledge gained into actionable improvement in their duties.
In her remarks, the Director, Training and Manpower Development Department, Mrs. Taiwo Bamigboye, who represented the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Rotimi Gabriel Akomolafe, admonished participants to be focused and ready to learn.
“We should be ready to learn, because we have great minds here who are ready to thoroughly take us through different sessions. The sessions are going to be very, very impactful. I know we have not met one or two of your friends for quite some time, but this is not the time to catch up. Let’s be serious, because we are here for a very serious business,” she said.
The Coordinator, Information Department, Mr. Wumi Agbanigo. lauded the Oyebanji-led administration for consistently prioritizing training and retraining of public servants.
“Our presence here today is no surprise. The current administration has consistently prioritized training and retraining of public servants, which continues to enhance our capacity to discharge our duties effectively. I firmly believe that this seminar will add significant value to our daily operations,” he said.
He urged participants to comport themselves, pay close attention and absorb the insights shared for improved service delivery.
Omolara Oladija
Director of Information,
Ekiti State Local Government Service Commission.
