TheHILL | FEATURE | JULY 11.
If Nigeria’s was a system where heads of parastatals were appointed from administrative ranks, or, if there was an establishment for political career growth from the lowest to the highest tiers in government, Ini, son of Ememobong Essien would by now be receiving notices of promotion from his superior(s), preparing him for higher roles at the federal level of governance.
The Akwa Ibom state commissioner for information has particularly struck me with the way he has employed a blend of public and industrial relations skills in managing and running both the information machinery of government and the manpower needs of the ministry. I wouldn’t say the workforce in the ministry is having their best times, because the adjective (best) is value defined and value is subjective. However, one won’t be faulted for holding that this very reign, since August 2020, has shown the ministry’s staff an entirely different perspective to defining and measuring value.
As subjective as value can be– owing to individual or personality differences, the centrality of knowledge and personal skills in the value circle can neither be overstressed nor disputed. Under this reign launched two years back, when the Useh Ndon born lawyer took over the ministry as his designation, every level of what constitutes the workforce of the information ministry has been exposed and funded to one form of skill and knowledge acquisition or the other, in a bid to sharpen personal skills and work capacity towards boosting or maximising productivity.
The easiest way to have or convince individuals to open to new ideas is by exposing them to existing applications of those ideas and how they are manifestating useful outputs. Ini has spared no funds in facilitiating this approach, sponsoring staff of directorate and ordinary levels to behold for themselves new ideas, learn the skills of developing and applying same, and manifesting the outcomes in their respective approaches to and processes of job deliveries.
One type of event that happens to frequently make the news from the ministry is that of skills development. It is either the ministry is launching an event for a skill development, welcoming resource persons to the ministry for this purpose or sponsoring staff to external facilities at near and distant shores for same purpose.
So rather than settling to tap from and drain the pool he came to meet, he had choosen to expand the pool by helping it access new feeder fountains to keep it constantly afresh to stand every step of global changes that can pose challenges to delivery or productivity in the workplace. And only if his successors will agree to drive through the pace he is setting, then the fear of technology and innovations from every evolving stage of industrial revolution replacing the need for human hands and keeping more humans out of job, would have already been surmounted before each era beckons, as the workforce will continually be updated with improved and new skills to remain competitive and favourably so.
Directly on the task of manning the information system of government, the comrade has stood himself out through the various creative and innovative ideas and paths with which he has approached the business. Employing every workable model, he has developed for government, clear means of information dissemination and reception, using same to build and sustain smooth relations between government and its internal, external stakeholders as well as the general Akwa Ibom public. Taking an industrial approach to delivering in his job role of information management and blending same with a stylish and confident display of consistency is mastery and expertise in a class of its own; and proving himself in this class of information and human resource management places Ini as one information manager every government in contemporary times should desire to have.
Ubong Sampson (08021419939) writes from Sabongari, Kano state.
