By Marvellous Nyang
March 7, 2025
Former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has underscored the pivotal role of a strong civil service in driving national success and development.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 2024 AIG Public Leaders Programme in Abuja, he emphasized that public service is central to policy formulation, implementation, and innovation.
He praised the programme for equipping public servants with skills to address challenges in volatile and complex global environments.
Osinbajo highlighted examples of Nigeria’s civil service achievements, such as the National Development Plans of the 1960s and 1980s, the construction of four refineries within a decade, and responses to the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks.
He also noted recent successes like the school feeding initiative for 9.6 million children and the digital management of N-Power programmes.
The former VP stressed that well-trained, motivated public servants are essential for economic growth, job creation, and improved lives. However, he warned that a weak or disorganized civil service stalls progress and harms economies.
He expressed optimism about transformative projects initiated by participants in the programme, including leveraging mobile technology for mental health services, AI-powered tools for knowledge management, digitizing government processes, and frameworks to address workplace harassment.
Speaking at the event, the immediate past Vice President said that the prosperity of nations like Nigeria depends on the diligence, integrity, vision, and creativity of the public service.
“For most of my adult life, I have served as a public servant, whether as a law teacher at the University of Lagos or Lagos State University, an advisor to the Federal Attorney General at some point, a United Nations staff member, a State Attorney General, or later as Vice President and, at some point, even Acting President.
Throughout these experiences, I arrived at a firm conclusion that the civil service holds the key to a nation’s success. And I repeat that the civil service holds the key to every nation’s success.”
This is not because civil servants are inherently special, but because, by the very design of modern society, the government is the legal and accepted entity that exists to make life better for the people.
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The people entrust the government with the responsibility to make their lives better. When we say government, that includes the executive, the judiciary, the legislature, and the public service that supports them, with the authority to initiate and implement policies, regulate economic and social activities, maintain law and order, deliver justice, and provide public goods.
Osinbajo lauded the contributions of the AIG Imoukhuede Foundation for its efforts in nurturing talent that will transform the future of public services in Nigeria, and indeed across Africa.
“I’ve been inspired by reading some of the remarkable 68 projects emerging from this programme, from a project on leveraging mobile technology to expand mental health services, to another developing an AI-powered knowledge management tool, another one creating employee feedback platforms, yet another digitising government processes, and one even designing a framework to address workplace sector harassment in a particular ministry.
Each of these innovations began as a simple idea but has the potential to profoundly transform public service delivery. I think from here on, you must see yourselves as inventors. You are inventors of whole new systems and processes that will transform how vital public goods and services can reach millions of people. Technology scientists create the products that power our daily lives.
In turn, public servants themselves have the privilege and responsibility to serve, ensuring that government functions efficiently and effectively.”
The Executive Chairman of the Foundation, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, said the organisation is committed to ensuring excellence in Nigeria’s public service.
“The programme is to inspire within each public servant of high potential a desire to truly make an impact on the country they serve. We do this by exposing them to the very best training delivered by the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford.
“We also bring accomplished leaders from the public and private sectors in Africa to come and speak to them. They engage in case studies and immerse themselves in practical experiences.
“But I think probably the most powerful part of this programme is that every single one of our scholars must complete what we call a capstone project. In this project, they identify something that will make an impact. Usually, we try to make sure that it aligns with their current area of focus. But most importantly, they use the skills that this program gives them to design a project that makes a tangible impact.”
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoS), Didi Walson-Jack, said the collaboration with the Foundation will help the service achieve its mandate of building an excellent public service.
“This programme resonates well with the federal civil service, as we have our own leadership development and enhancement program, LEADP, which also seeks to build a cohort of leaders in the federal civil service.
“Permit me to sincerely appreciate the AIG Imoukhuede Foundation for their unwavering commitment to improving governance in Nigeria and across Africa. Through this program, you have provided public sector leaders with world-class leadership training, equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and mindset required to drive innovation and excellence in public administration.
“I dare say this aligns perfectly with our vision of building a citizen-centric, efficient, productive, incorruptible, and innovative workforce. Your work is invaluable, and I encourage you to do even more.”
The 2025 AIG Public Leaders Programme graduated 68 cohorts into its Alumni Association with a view to improving the public sector and impacting the lives of Africans through transformed public service delivery and better access to quality primary healthcare, starting with Nigeria.
It also featured awards for the 68 participants and special recognition for impactful projects.
Osinbajo encouraged public servants to embrace innovation and leadership to transform service delivery across Nigeria and Africa.
