Public Service Staff Development Centre (PSSDC), a civil servant training institute set up by the Lagos State government in 1994, has trained over 70,000 civil servants in career development and capacity building.
In his address at the centre, which marked its 30th anniversary on Friday, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said tough decisions taken by successive administrations in the state kept the institute afloat.
Sanwo-Olu recalled how successive administrations had resisted the pressure to repurpose the land on which the centre sits for residential development.
The governor noted that the institute had survived politics, intrigues and turbulence in the course of its operations, stressing that its tenacity to its guiding vision and the professionalism imparted on staff to enhance service delivery was the key factor behind its sustainability.
He said, “I stand here truly proud of the heritage which the Public Service Staff Development Centre has turned out to be. The institute has worked tirelessly to project the vision and future which many people did not see during its formative years. Having stood strong for three decades, the centre has become a symbol of professionalism and excellence in public service which can be showcased to other sub nationals to learn from.
“The institute has survived politics, intrigues and turbulence because of its tenacity to its guiding vision and the professionalism it has imparted on staff to enhance their capacity and scale up service delivery. We have preserved this institution and grown it to the level where its goals are irreversible. The centre has had a pride of place internationally and I am delighted we didn’t succumb to ‘Magodo pressure’ to repurpose its land. I believe the future of the Centre is bright and will grow to be in the global league of best training institutes.”
Sanwo-Olu urged the institute’s management not to rest on its oars in building on the achievements made over the last 30 years, noting that the centre must assess its performance and go through rediscovery in order to sustain its relevance in the state’s public service.
Director-general of PSSDC, Adekunmilola Adio-Moses, said the centre’s mission had been on course, listing the milestones achieved over the years.
He said PSSDC had developed an institutional transformation plan, implementing organisational change and adopting a more focused approach to drive professional attitude to service delivery.
