Pension Board Chairman Hails Governor, LG Service Commission Boss for Renewed Investment in Local Government Workforce
IBADAN — A new chapter appears to be unfolding in Oyo State’s local government administration as the Local Government Staff Training School at the State Secretariat, Ibadan, undergoes a major facelift, drawing commendation from the Chairman of the Oyo State Local Government Staff Pension Board, Hon. Ademola Ige.
Ige, in a strong vote of confidence in the ongoing transformation, commended Governor Engr. Oluwaseyi Makinde and the Chairman of the Oyo State Local Government Service Commission, Bashorun Akinwale Akinwole Wolekanle, for what he described as a bold and timely intervention in the development of the state’s local government workforce.
The Pension Board Chairman particularly singled out Wolekanle for praise, noting that the renewed attention to the Local Government Service Training School demonstrates a leadership that understands that quality service begins with quality people and quality institutions.
According to Ige, the facelift is not merely about giving the ageing facility a new appearance; it is about creating an environment where local government personnel can acquire the skills, knowledge and professional orientation required to meet the demands of modern governance.
The intervention is consequently being viewed by stakeholders as one of the quiet but potentially far-reaching developments within the state’s local government system.
For a tier of government that remains closest to the people, having a properly equipped training institution is critical to ensuring that personnel across the 33 local government areas are continuously exposed to contemporary administrative practices, digital skills, leadership development and efficient public-service delivery.
Ige also praised Governor Makinde for sustaining a governance philosophy that places human capital alongside physical infrastructure, describing the administration’s support for institutional development as an investment that will continue to yield dividends beyond the present administration.
He noted that while roads, schools and other physical infrastructure are visible symbols of development, investing in the people who manage public institutions is equally fundamental to sustainable governance.
Wolekanle’s leadership of the Local Government Service Commission has, meanwhile, continued to attract attention for its emphasis on strengthening the Service and improving the institutional environment within which local government workers operate.
The facelift of the training school is therefore emerging as a significant component of that renewed direction—providing a physical platform for training, retraining, seminars, workshops and other capacity-building programmes.
As the transformation gathers momentum, the message from the development is becoming increasingly clear: Oyo State is not only rebuilding infrastructure; it is rebuilding the capacity of the people behind the system.
And in that regard, the partnership between the Makinde administration and the Local Government Service Commission under Wolekanle could prove to be one of the administration’s most consequential investments in grassroots governance.
For Ige, the commendation is not merely about a renovated facility. It is an appreciation of a leadership philosophy that recognises that a stronger local government system must begin with a stronger, better-trained and better-equipped workforce.
