Following a resounding and well-attended maiden edition of the Ondo State Civil Service Innovation Challenge organized by Performance and Project Implementation Monitoring Unit (PPIMU) in collaboration with the Reform Office, Office of the Head of Service, the Challenge has attracted private sector investment of one of the bright ideas presented at the event.
An organization – Community Energy and Social Enterprise presented a cash donation to Mr. Olubunmi Olaseni, who came second in the competition having presented an innovation on BIOGAS, which caught the attention of the CEO of the donating company, who was a panelist for the competition.
The presentation was held in the office of the Head of Service of the State, Pastor Kayode Ogundele, FCIPM on the 26th of January, 2023. In his comments, the CEO of the donating company, Dr, Patrick Tolani stated that he was drawn to the idea while the presentation was being done because of his involvement in the renewable energy space. According to him, innovations should not be too capital intensive to make an appreciable difference and it is always the delight of the private sector to see that the public sector can be partnered with, for societal development.
The Head of Service, Pastor Kayode Ogundele, FCIPM was very appreciative of the gesture and expressed his profound gratitude to the donor for leading the way in supporting ideas from the Innovation Challenge. He expressed belief that with his donation, others can be drawn to the initiatives from the public service. He also encouraged Olaseni to deliver his project because, “to whom much is given much is expected and urged people in the service to do better so as to portray a good government.”
Furthermore, the State Head of Service stated that, “civil servants should not just be arm-chair critics. We should not just be onlookers. We should be solution providers. The essence of bringing us into the chairs and tables we are occupying is because the government felt we should add value. We are expected in one little way or the other and in our various little corners to contribute our quota such that that holistic goal of the government to touch the lives of the people is achieved.”
In attendance at the presentation, was the Special Adviser to the State Governor on Union Matters and Special Duties, Mr Dare Aragbaye, who opined that one of the banes of development was lack of follow-up on previous ideas in past. He lauded Dr. Tolani’s move towards realizing the major goals of the Innovation Challenge and boosting the morale of other Civil Servants to become more productive.
It would be recalled that the maiden edition of the Civil Service Innovation Challenge held on the 25th of November, 2022 and saw the emergence of three brilliant Civil Servants as winners at the final stage of the innovation competition. The 2023 edition of the annual programme is already in the works and details shall be announced soon.