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‘ASCON, Adding Value To Civil Service Through Training’
The Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) is adding value to the country’s civil service through training of civil servants and other capacity development initiatives.
The Director General of the college, Mrs Cecelia Gayya, said this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
Gayya said that the college had conducted many training programmes at both the national and international levels.
She recalled that some staff of the Gambian government as well as those of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and Office of the Head of Service of the Federation among others had been trained at the college.
Gayya also said the college had trained more than 400 staff of NPA in the last three years while it had been conducting promotion exercises for staff of NIMASA in the last four years.
She added that customer satisfaction had been evident through the repeated patronage recorded.
Gayya further said the college had been involved in the mandatory manpower training organised by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation for about four years for staff on Grade Levels between eight and 13.
Gayya said that some of the major challenges currently facing the college are inadequate funding as well as issues revolving around personnel development and sponsorship.
“The major challenge has been in terms of personnel, because the staff that started ASCON had excellent training nationally and internationally.
“Again, these days getting sponsorship the way we did before is becoming more and more difficult.
“So one of our challenges is in consistently and constantly building the competencies of our facilitators to enable them deliver on our mandate.
“ We cannot give what we don’t have, so that is our challenge that we need to put our eyes on, so that our staff don’t become outdated in terms of the kind of knowledge they bring to bear on their jobs,” she said.
She also said the college had been partnering with other organisations such as the African Management Development Institute and Ghana Institute of Management to tackle some of its challenges.
Gayya said the college also received funding from Japan in the training of 25 staff while two others were trained in South Africa.
“ One of the things we are doing is to engage in partnership with organisations; for example, we are in partnership with the Ghana Institute of Management.
“For the purpose of staff exchange, we are also in partnership with the African Management Development Institute.
“We have also gotten some sponsorship from Japan, we had 25 of our staff trained last year and we had two of them trained in South Africa for a period of about three months.
“So those are some of the ways we are trying to overcome the challenge of funding.
“We are also in partnership with the West Africa Management Development Institute which helped us to train some of our staff just last year.
In spite of the institution’s challenges,Gayya expressed the hope that ASCON will be revitalised in the three cardinal areas of facilities enhancement,staff development and revenue generation.
ASCON located in Topo, Badagry, was established in 1973 by the Federal Government as a management development institution.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has tasked troops of Operation SAVANNAH SHIELD to dominate the battlespace and intensify offensive operations against kidnappers, bandits and other criminal elements in the North Central region.
Shaibu gave the directive yesterday during his maiden operational visit to the Headquarters, Joint Task Force North Central (JTF-NC), at Sobi Barracks, Ilorin.
This is contained in a statement by the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Appolonia Anele, in Abuja, yesterday.
Shaibu said the Nigerian Army would remain resolute in its constitutional responsibility of safeguarding lives and property, stressing that troops must sustain pressure to decisively deny criminal elements freedom of action.
He assured personnel of continued deployment of combat enablers and operational resources to enhance clearance operations and dismantle criminal hideouts across Kwara and Niger states.
The COAS reaffirmed his commitment to troop welfare, noting that improved welfare remained critical to sustaining morale, operational effectiveness and combat readiness.
He urged the troops to remain disciplined, professional and loyal to the Constitution and the democratically elected government.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander, JTF-NC Operation SAVANNAH SHIELD, Maj.-Gen. Yakubu Yahaya, commended the COAS for his strategic leadership and support.
Yahaya assured that troops would remain committed and steadfast in restoring peace and stability in the region.
The Nigerian Navy says it is expanding training and infrastructure to address emerging security threats and strengthen operational efficiency across formations and units nationwide.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Idi Abbas, spoke during the inauguration of projects at the Nigerian Navy Basic Training School (NNBTS) in Onne, Rivers as part of activities marking the Nigerian Navy’s 70th anniversary.
Abbas, represented by the Flag Officer Commanding, Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC), Rear Adm. Ebiobowei Zipele, said the projects reflected significant progress made by the navy since its establishment in 1956 from the British Royal Navy.
“Training and infrastructure have improved significantly to meet contemporary security challenges and fulfil the navy’s constitutional responsibilities.”
According to him, the anniversary provides the navy an opportunity to reflect on its achievements and contributions over the past seven decades.
Projects inaugurated included a remodelled female trainees’ hostel accommodating more than 500 occupants and an expanded golf course upgraded from one to nine holes.
Others were the NNBTS fuel dump, Chief Boatswain’s Mate House, renovated pharmacy department and a new theatre block at the Naval Medical Centre, Onne.
Abbas described the new theatre as a major milestone for the navy’s medical services.
“Previously, injured personnel requiring surgeries were referred outside the facility.
“With this theatre, surgeries can now be conducted within the base.’’
He added that a 30KVA inverter had also been installed to guarantee uninterrupted electricity supply at the training school.
The naval chief assured officers, ratings and trainees that the navy leadership remained committed to their welfare and wellbeing.
“These infrastructure upgrades show the commitment of the Chief of Naval Staff to addressing operational and welfare challenges promptly,” he said.
In addition, NAVTRAC distributed educational materials to pupils of Community Primary Schools One and Two, Ogale, in Ebubu-Eleme area of Rivers.
Items distributed included exercise books, school bags and other writing materials as part of the navy’s civil-military engagement initiative.
Zipele said the outreach was designed to strengthen relations between the navy and host communities while supporting children’s education.
“Education remains critical to national growth and youth empowerment. Some of these pupils may eventually serve in the Nigerian Navy,” he said.
He noted that the initiative demonstrated the navy’s commitment to educational development, peace, security and sustainable community relations.
Zipele urged the pupils to remain disciplined, focused and committed to their studies while embracing patriotism, integrity and hard work.
He thanked the Ebubu community for its continued support for the naval training command headquarters and the navy.
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