The National Productivity Centre NPC , the hub of capacity building to the entire Nigeria’s workforce both in the public and private sector had redoubled efforts towards ensuring constant trainings and retrainings of Nigerian workers, not only at the federal level, but trickled down to states and local government areas including the private sector.
The ongoing trainings and retrainings of Federal, State and Local Government area workers had being prioritized overtime, so as to increase the productive template of Nigeria’s workforce.
In line with it’s mission and vision to be a world class productivity institution and key player into realising Nigeria’s overall growth and development objective, along with the vision to develop a mindset, institutionalize productivity culture in the citizenry, for the enhancement of service delivery and quality of life, Dr Kashim Akor led NPC had developed a renewed template in tandem with the current economic realities and post COVID pandemic, a global scourge that ravaged countries.
With the opening of 15 state offices across the country in the six geopolitical zones in the last few years and other adjoining offices across the country, to modify, sustain and not only improve productivity culture , but created an innate desire for voluntary disposition of productive flare with zeal to modern technological era.
The ongoing trainings across the states which is expected to go round the 36 states including the Federal Capital Territory FCT and 776 local government areas in Nigeria, with the private sector at all levels not left out in the new blueprint had redoubled and rejigged productivity.
This was a departure from the previous consternation that the private sector that hitherto served as the driver of productive activities had wittingly or unwittingly became an avenue for self empowerment, aggrandizement and pacification against the good old conducts.
Therefore, it behoves on the country’s productive hub, the National Productivity Centre NPC to evolve another culture that will be all encompassing and designed to address in totality the lacklustre attitudes in the two major labor related areas.
With the framework in mind, the NPC had commenced in earnest constant and revolving trainings beginning from states across the country, with the latest one held at one week capacity building workshop in collaboration between the government of Akwa Ibom state and the NPC.
The one week program that started with arrival on Monday 22nd July to Friday 26th July 2022 was designed not only to train all cadre of workers of the state, but also retrain all other categories of workers, with a view to giving them maximum productive efforts towards the attainment of set objectives from the civil service of Akwa Ibom state.
Aside building capacity that will enhanced productivity, papers were also presented by professionals and experts in the productivity sector, both of the NPC and other affiliate academic institutions.
The new knowledge acquired will not only affect the workers of the state positively, but will attract more commitment and determination to drive government activities to fruition in the state, using the new technologies and technological know- how that will reduced human interferences and ensured a generally acceptable outcomes.
NPC is not resting on its oars towards a productive society, as it had inculcated and encouraged representatives of the people across the country, including federal lawmakers, Senators and members of House of Representatives that inculcated and included trainings and capacity buildings along with skill development and acquisition of their constituents with a view for them to achieving or realising their potentials.
These trainings that had been the cardinal objectives of NPC became mandatory by all federal lawmakers domiciling constituency projects in the agency , not only to organise trainings as part of their constituency projects, but empower constituents with starter parks, seeds and seedlings to make them self sufficient and self reliant, in view of the biting economic recession and global economic meltdown worsened by both natural and artificial phenomenon across the world.
With the new template, states across the country had showed interest in the trainings of their workforce at all levels by the NPC in recent times, and with determination to improve the input and output of the their workers in the current dispensation.
The NPC has also engaged and deployed both academic and technical support in setting the template of capacity buildings, trainings and workshops as well as skill development and acquisition, as well as empowerment of many Nigerians on different skills and vocation to enhance productivity and self assertion along with economic growth and freedom.
Nigeria no doubt is in dire need of a reformed and retrained workforce, coinciding with the culture and renewed vigour of the current leadership and supervision of Dr Kashim Akor, in his determination to beqeuath not only a robust workforce that can compete with international standards and convention in the area of productivity and service delivery in Nigeria, but making productivity the cynosure of Nigerians workforce in all sectors of the economy.
Coming at a time when Nigeria’s socio-economic programs is passing through it’s difficult period of sustenance of policies and programs, in all areas, the renewed zeal that will not only jerk up the moral of workers to productive activities , but revert the country to the good old days were both local and foreign reserves will be enhanced through productivity.
This could be justified seven years down the line, the NPC had hosted concurrently the 6th foundation day lecture in November, 2021, with preparation for the 2022 7th foundation day lecture in the offing before the year runs out.
This has shown the level of commitment by the leadership of NPC powered by an erudite scholar and astute administrator, Dr Kashim Akor to extricate non- productive elements from Nigeria’s fabric and society.
Yusuf writtes from Abuja, He can be reached: [email protected].
