The National Youth Service Corps NYSC has said its target is to ensure transparency.
This is even as the scheme trained 61 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) desk officers across the country to expose them to the new trends and frontiers for result-oriented approach confronting their assignment as well as improving their response level to requests from the public.
Director of press and public relations of the NYSC, Mrs. Adenike Adeyemi, made this known at the 2020 NYSC Freedom of Information Desk Officers’ Workshop Tuesday in Abuja, explaining that the workshop would help to enhance the efficiency among the officers.
In her opening remarks, Mrs. Adeyemi congratulated all on the achievements so far recorded in the implementation of FOIA in the scheme. Our target is to be the best in the next compliance and transparency ranking.
“The scheme is among the first government agencies to commence implementation of the Freedom of Information Act with the appointment of Desk Officers who have ensured NYSC’s adherence to the provisions of the law both at the National Directorate Headquarters and the 36 States/FCT secretariats.
“The need to stimulate profound discourse on the implementation challenges facing the Desk Officers informed the choice of the theme for this workshop, Promoting Accountability in Governance through the Freedom of Information Act. It is expected that perspectives generated from the cross-fertilization of ideas would be harnessed to enhance the efficiency of the officers. I, therefore, enjoin all workshop participants to take full advantage of this program to update knowledge for effective discharge of your responsibilities.
“The bottom line in leadership is not how far we advance ourselves, but how far we advance others. Your action bears eloquent testimony to the premium you place on the staff training, and retraining and development.”
She said the training will equally provide the requisite platform for them to interact and rub their minds on challenges they face in the course of discharging their duties.
One of the speakers, training on Anti-Corruption, Mr. Abiodun Adebanjo in his topic: ‘Enthroning a culture of openness in the public sector through proper implementation of the FOIA’ said, “for desk officers’ to perform optimally, they need to imbibe the culture of openness, transparently and accountability.”
