Embrace technology to remain relevant – Lagos HoS tells civil servants

As Public Servants in Lagos State begin this year’s Public Service Week Celebration, the State Head of Service, Olabowale Ademola, has charged them to use this year’s celebration individually and collectively to signpost their transition into the ever expanding role of technology in the workplace in order to continue to remain relevant in the Service.
Ademola spoke in Lagos on Thursday at a press conference to outline activities that have been put together to celebrate this year’s Public Service Week.
She stressed that public servants must continue to re-tool, re-kit, re-boot and re-energize in order to fit into the State Public Service of the future.
She said: “By implication therefore, and given the ongoing reforms in the State Public Service as well as the ever expanding role of technology in the workplace, Public Servants who desire to remain relevant in the Public Service of the future must be prepared to embrace change. We must continue re-tooling, re-kitting, re-booting and re-energizing as only the right quality of staff with the right knowledge, techniques, skills, frame of mind and attitude will fit in to the Lagos State Public Service of the future.
“Let us therefore use this year’s celebration individually and collectively to signpost our transition into that space, with a determination to ensure that academically, professionally and technologically, we will continue to remain relevant in the Lagos State Public Service.”
Ademola noted that regardless of the unanimity of views that the State Public Service is the most efficient, most effective, most proactive, most dynamic, most creative, most knowledgeable and the most value-driven Service in Africa, it still cannot afford to rest on its oars or even become complacent.
Her words: “The world keeps evolving, becoming more dynamic as the days, weeks and years go by, while the public space consists of variables that are constantly and continuously changing in shape, form or character. It, therefore, only stands to reason that any system that fails to change, evolve or adapt to accommodate emerging realities will not only become irrelevant, but is most likely to atrophy.”
According to her, it is the recognition of the relevance and critical importance of the Public Service that has informed the commitment of the State Government to the continuous development of its Public Service and public Sservants in sustaining the organization and celebration of the Public Service Week in the State.
Ademola explained that this year’s celebration will highlights the significant role and invaluable contributions of Lagos State Public Servants to the growth and economic development of Lagos State since its creation in 1967 just as it will focus on innovating for the future.
“It is the view of His Excellency, as shared by the Office of the Head of Service, that if the Public Service will successfully implement policies that will transform Lagos State into a modern, innovative, functional, clean and smart city in the near future, then the Public Service must move ahead into that future, and there is no better time than now,” Ademola noted.
She said that this year’s celebration, with the theme: “The Future is Now: Accelerating Public Service Innovation for Agenda 2030,” includes many novel and innovative addition to the traditional line up of activities that had usually characterized the celebration over the years.
The Public Service Week is celebrated annually all over Africa in line with the 1994 Tangier Declaration by Ministers of the Civil Service of African Countries and it is used to celebrate Public Servants, appreciate their contributions towards efficient service delivery and good governance, as well as highlight the importance of the Public Service in meeting the challenges of the 21st Century.