The Administrator of the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN), Imeh Okon, says the institute has been repositioned to align with ongoing reforms in the federal civil service.

Mrs Okon said this while speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the ongoing international civil service conference in Abuja.

She also said that the institute had been repositioned to deliver improved capacity-building services to public institutions.

The PSIN was established in 2008 to serve as an institute with mandates to conduct research and advisory, capacity building and human resource/leadership development for the Nigerian public service.

She explained that the PSIN’s participation in the conference was strategic, as the institute sought to deepen engagement with stakeholders, in addition to showcasing its ongoing transformation under the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF).

According to her, the PSIN is now restructured to support the implementation of reforms being championed by the Head of Service of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack.

She said, “Beyond attending the conference, the PSIN convened two critical roundtables focused on people and organisations.

”The first session examined how organisations induct new employees to understand institutional vision, ethics and culture.

”It is not enough to recruit staff and hand them terms of reference. Institutions must intentionally prepare workers to align with organisational goals and values.”

Mrs Okon said the conference, attended by heads of service and representatives of key agencies, also focused on leadership and institutional systems required to achieve organisational targets.

She stressed the importance of leaders understanding how to nurture talent and strategically deploy skilled personnel to relevant divisions for improved service delivery.

”The fact that you are a leader does not automatically mean you understand talent management. Leadership must be deliberate in identifying and nurturing staff who can help institutions achieve their mandates,” she said.

The administrator said the PSIN’s approach to training had gone beyond classroom teaching to encompass broader capacity enhancement for workers and institutions.

She added that the institute also conducts training needs assessments to identify skill gaps and design customised interventions for organisations.

”Sometimes we offer the assessment pro bono, but the goal is to ensure training is targeted and impactful,” she said.

Mrs Okon further said that the PSIN had upgraded its facilities and expanded its services to include retreats, brainstorming sessions and on-site institutional support for organisations unable to sponsor staff travel.

She noted that the institute’s campus and facilities had been improved to meet global standards.

”We can come directly to institutions and work with them to address their peculiar challenges,” she said.

On lessons from the conference, Mrs Okon said the PSIN had already begun internal reforms before engaging stakeholders externally.

According to her, staff members have undergone extensive customer relations and problem-identification training to improve service delivery.

”Training is not a one-off exercise. It is continuous and incremental. The staffers of any institution are the total of what they know, and without exposure to best practices, they cannot deliver beyond their capacity,” she said.

The PSIN administrator disclosed that the institute had adopted a policy requiring a minimum of four training sessions annually for every staff member.

She reaffirmed the institute’s commitment to becoming a leading public sector think tank and research institution.

“The PSIN is rebranded for excellence. It is no longer business as usual. We are strengthening our research and think-tank functions, while ensuring that our programmes remain top-notch and relevant to current realities,” she said.

She urged ministries, departments and agencies to partner with the institute to improve staff welfare, institutional performance and service delivery.  

(NAN)