By Chinaka Okoro
For several hours on Friday, December 6, members of the Chartered Institute of Administration (CIA) and guests who converged on the Prestigious Hall of Golden Tulip Hotel, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos had the opportunity of listening to some of the finest discourses on administration, maladministration and nation-building.
The event was the December 2019 induction new members of the Chartered Institute of Administration (CIA) and its Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Speaker after speaker spoke on the relevance of noble administrators and unpretentious administration that could engender the kind of society where everything works.
At the induction where 204 members — 99 fellows, 51 full members and 54 associate members were inducted, the President and Chairman of Council, Samson O. Olopade (FCIA), said the induction was in line with the mandates and acts of the institute, adding that the exercise also served as a platform through which administrative system could be strengthened.
Olopade further stated that the institute prides itself on excellence and professionalism. “The process leading to members’ qualification and admission into the professional membership of the institute was quite taxing and rigorous. This is because the institute prides itself with excellence and professionalism.
“Similarly, the process of screening leading to the selection of those to be inducted into Full Membership and Fellowship grades was quite thorough and daunting so much so that multitudes of applicants could not satisfy the requirements for admission into these very grades.
“Chartered Institute of Administration is chartered by Act No. 103 of 1992, now Cap C7 LFN and is empowered to regulate the training and practice of Administration within a professional framework throughout Nigeria.
“The institute runs several programmes throughout the year to update the knowledge and skills of members. The programmes include continuing membership education and training (COMET) workshops, conferences, symposia, seminars and public lectures, among others.”
Through these, he noted, the institute does not only update the skills and knowledge of its members but also regularly lends its voice to issues of national importance, especially as they concern the practice of administration.
The institute, he also said, has been contributing to human capital development by qualifying professionals in the field of administration.
Olopade revealed that it attracted administrators from all walks of life across the states of the federation.
He also encouraged the newly inducted members to “join any of the district societies nearest to you in order to benefit from the wealth of professional experience that members share among them”.
He warned against sharp practices by professionals at their duty posts.
“As members, you would be required to adhere strictly to the institute’s code of ethics. As professionals, we are required to place public or employer’s interest above self-interest in our respective organisations. This has been a great challenge to our nation…” he said.
He promised that the institute will ensure that those desirous of its membership are equipped with the requisite administrative knowledge and skills to function as professionals.
Urging the newly inducted members to uphold the principles and integrity of the profession in their service to humankind, the CIA President advised them to be committed to contributing to the societal desire to bring about effective, efficient and seamless administration system in all spheres of the country’s economy.
The Head of Service of Lagos State, Hakeem Muri-Okunola who was also inducted as Fellow of the institute said the Lagos State government takes the issue of capacity building of its workforce seriously.
He appreciated the efforts of the Chartered Institute of Administration (CIA) in producing highly trained manpower that drive the economy of the state and nation.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Local Government Establishment, Training and Pensions Office, Abiodun Osi-Efa, he said the government recognises the need for civil servants to improve themselves from time to time; especially those who are at the helm of affairs.
It recognises that the CIA, among others, would be able to galvanise administrators at the state and grassroots levels.
He said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu takes capacity building of the civil servants seriously, adding that he has been strengthening the administrative capabilities of the workforce in the state such as council managers, council treasurers and council engineers, whom, he said, have benefited from the gesture in order to further sharpen their knowledge, since there is no end to learning. He wants the civil servants to be as good as possible in the discharge of their duties.
On how to move the country forward, Muri-Okunola said: “In order to ensure that we move forward as a country, we need to stir up our capacities to improve on the state of affairs of the society. We should not rest on our oars and say we have arrived because we have attained a certain level of success. We should go beyond the contemporary capacity that we have.
“The CIA and such other professional bodies are capable of providing the platform that will help Nigerians to improve their knowledge in order to take the country to greater heights.”
In a chat with The Nation, one of those inducted as a Fellow of the institute and former Minister of State for Power, Hon. Mohammed Wakil (OON) said he was happy to be a member of the CIA because it is one of the most serious professional bodies in terms of training and re-training and packaging of administrators.
Harping on the need for quest for knowledge, he said having been one-time Minister and Majority Leader in the House of Representatives, he still saw the need to be trained, re-trained and packaged by a professional body such as the CIA.
“People hold some erroneous beliefs that once one attains some positions in life or certain age, there is nothing more to learn. Education is a lifetime process. I still see myself as a student in every aspect of life. That motivated me into the quest for more knowledge,” he said.
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On the roles of administrators in nation-building, the former minister noted that “administrators play very important role in nation-building because administrators are the engine room of the nation. Without administrators, the nation cannot move forward.
“But for administrators to play active role in the development of the nation, they must be trained and re-trained. The Chartered Institute of Administration provides quality training to its members. So, the institute assists the country in finding lasting solutions to its leadership challenges.”
On the deficit of unpretentious administrators in the country, he said: “That is where the crux of the matter lies. Some people thought they are administrators. One shouldn’t just arrogate to oneself the tag of administrator unless one has been trained professionally. One may claim to be an administrator but one is not.
“It’s time those who are aspiring or who claim to be administrators embraced the services of organisations such as the CIA in order to get retrained so that, at the end, they will be professionals. Once they become professionals, it will manifest in the kind of decisions they make and in the policies and programmes they evolve.”
To the up-and-coming Nigerians, Hon. Wakil advised them to seek knowledge and professionalism.
“They should not be deceived by the ‘achievements’ of those who are unqualified administrators. They should quest for knowledge and be trained as professional administrators. They also should know whether they are cut out to be administrators. They have to join institutes such as this for them to be professionally trained so that they would contribute to nation-building.
Highlights of the event were induction of Fellows, Full and Associate members of the institute, administration of Oath of Professional Membership, presentation of certificates to the newly inducted members.
Some of the members of the Governing Council of the institute present at the event were Samuel Olawuyi Olaoye, Anthony C. Eze, Njoku Stephen, Adm. (Dr.) Joseph C. Okeke (Chairman, Membership, Students’ Affairs/Examination Committee); President/Chairman of Council of CIA Adm. Samson O. Olopade; Treasurer of the institute Adm. Azubuko Ugochukwu; Vice-President of the institute, Adm (Dr.) Oshoba Festus; (Adm. (Dr.) Noble E. Oguguo; member representing the Minister of Education, Barrister Eunice Ike; Abiodun Osi-Efa; Former Minister of State for Power, Hon. Mohammed Wakil and Muhammad Inuwa Tahir and Adm. Princewill Gbogbodu (MCIA), among others.
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