Bayelsa Governor Diri Charges Permanent Secretaries on Enhanced Public Service

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has underscored the crucial role of a robust and skilled civil service in achieving effective governance. He highlighted that permanent secretaries are essential links connecting political leadership with the administrative machinery. This message was delivered by Dr. Peter Akpe, the Deputy Governor, on Monday in Yenagoa, the state capital, as he inaugurated a three-day executive training for permanent secretaries. The Bayelsa State Government partnered with the Nigeria Institute of Management (Chartered) to organize this programme, themed ‘Strategic Leadership and Public-Sector Governance for Effective Service Delivery.’

Governor Diri conveyed his administration's high regard for the civil service and its bureaucratic structure. He asserted that “bureaucracy is expected to promote order, efficiency, fairness, accountability, proper record-keeping and institutional continuity.” Furthermore, he implored permanent secretaries to offer expert guidance to political leaders and to foster close collaboration with directors and other specialists across their respective ministries, emphasizing the importance of ongoing education.

Citing the management theories of Max Weber, the renowned German political economist, Diri cautioned that public servants neglecting to refresh their knowledge risk becoming irrelevant to contemporary issues. He directly stated, “Until you have a strong bureaucracy, you can’t run a good government. We should ensure that we are intentional and conscious of that particular role. You are a bridge. There are people who are permanent secretaries today. They joined service maybe about 30 years ago, and they are still working with the old knowledge; you can’t fit in now. So, you really have to update through learning. Most of the time, you see that activities and decisions in some ministries are between the commissioner and the permanent secretary, or sometimes they add the DFA. You don’t assume you know it all. You must carry your directors and other officers along.”

During his welcome address, Dr. Ebiye Sawyer, the state’s Head of Service, remarked that this training was timely, given the public's heightened expectations for government institutions to demonstrate greater responsiveness, transparency, and efficiency. Sawyer underscored the vital role permanent secretaries play within the governmental framework, holding responsibilities for executing policies, reinforcing systemic structures, and fostering professionalism within the public service.

He further encouraged attendees to adopt digital transformation, enhancing administrative procedures, data handling, and public access to government services. Sawyer articulated, “Citizens expect government institutions to be responsive, transparent, efficient and capable of delivering quality services that positively affect their lives. Strategic leadership requires more than the ability to manage routine administrative responsibilities. It demands vision, sound judgement, innovation, effective communication, accountability and the capacity to inspire officers towards achieving clearly defined institutional goals.”

Perekiye Buruboyefe, Chairman of the Bayelsa State Civil Service Commission, extended a goodwill message, advising participants to be receptive to the knowledge shared throughout the programme and wishing them a productive training experience. Dr. Sani Abubakar, Chairman of the Nigeria Institute of Management (Chartered), also spoke, affirming the institute’s dedication to ensuring the training’s objectives were met and pledging their continued support to both the state government and the participants.

Dignitaries present at the occasion included Mr. Jonathan Asigo, State Director of the Code of Conduct Bureau; Dr. Agadah Zuoboemi, Chairman of the Permanent Secretaries Forum; Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, Commissioner for Information, Orientation and Strategy; among other notable personalities.