By Emmanuel Obisue
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, received the Mayor of London Borough of Southwark, Michael Situ, and his team, on a working visit on Friday, March 1.
The pair met to discuss avenues of collaboration and student exchange programmes, a statement issued by M. A. Ahmed, Director of Communications at the OHCSF stated.
The Head of Service represented by Adeleye Adeoye, Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office in the OHCSF, disclosed that the news of the visit was received with great enthusiasm because “education for all is a responsibility for all”.
“For us, we want to do everything possible to ensure that our citizens at all levels are well educated believing in its efficacy to emancipate people and make them contribute, positively, to societal development,” she added.
The HoS appreciated the Mayor for focusing on secondary school students as beneficiaries of the exchange programme between Nigeria and the United Kingdom “because they are the future of the Service, nurturing them at that stage will ease their transition into the public sector, in future”. “We need to get our children back to school to get quality education, in order to contribute favourably to the growth and development of our dear country”.
She reiterated that the first pillar of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP-25 places high premium on human capital development and talent management, adding that learning is an unending adventure.
Speaking earlier, Mayor Situ, stated that one of the aims of the visit is to seek areas of partnership on both sides of the continents, also finding ways on how both countries can be mutual beneficiaries. While giving an overview of what the programme entails, he disclosed that what cuts across all areas of the Public Service and being provided by the government at all levels, is education. “If you have an educated workforce, you will have a productive workforce, a thriving economy, thriving communities and a thriving society, as well,” he added.
He spoke on how schools in the London Borough of Southwark went through years of transformation to become some of the sort after schools in the U.K.
He further said the visit is quite key to understanding the education landscape of Nigeria and how both countries can share best practices, thereby adding value on both sides.
