By Steve Oko

Human resource practitioners in the country have been charged to be innovative in order to  drive revolution and transformation in the public service for efficient service delivery.

The President/ Chairman of Governing Council of the Chattered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria, CIPM, Mallam Ahmed Ladan Gobir; and the Chairman, Abia State Civil Service Commission, Dr Mrs Eno Jerry- Eze, made the charge at the 61st induction ceremony of CIPM held in Umuahia the Abia State capital.

While Gobir harped on innovation among HR practitioners, Mrs Jerry- Eze, posited that public service must transit from its stereotype mentality to strategic human resource management if good governance and excellence in service delivery must be achieved.

In his welcome address, Mallam Gobir, noted that “human resource personnel represent the vital building blocks in the needed transformation in public service.”

The  CIPM President charged the members to “step up, innovate, and take the driver’s seat in revolutionizing public service for a brighter future.”

He said that public service “accounts for over 60% of employment in some regions in Nigeria”,  but regretted that lack of transformation had made the service inefficient.

Gobir challenged human resource practitioners to grow from  “just managers of people to change architects, culture shapers, and enablers of innovation.”

According to him, transformation demands fresh perspectives, bold leadership, and the courage to disrupt the status quo.

“As HR professionals, your role is to ensure that public service becomes not just a job but a mission-driven institution that inspires people to give their best”, Mallam Gobir declared.

He also tasked the members on integrity to build public trust.

“Your integrity as HR professionals will determine how far you drive this transformation. As custodians of public service transformation, you must guard this integrity fiercely, using it to inspire trust, fairness and innovation in every corner of the system.”

Stressing the need for proficiency among practitioner,  he said:”HR is not just about hiring people; it is about hiring the right people, creating the right culture, and sustaining the right processes.”

Mallam Gobir who said the event was the first induction by the institute to be held in the South East region, charged the new inductees to help promote fairness in recruitments.

“To our inductees: Be the HR professionals who dare to challenge outdated systems. Be the ones who promote diversity, inclusion, and fairness in recruitment and career progression.

“Be the change agents who remind every employee, regardless of their role, that they are part of a bigger vision for Nigeria. You have the privilege of driving Nigeria’s public service into a future of efficiency, transparency and excellence.”

Pastor Mrs Jerry-Eze  who presented a paper at the ceremony , said public servants must be innovative and strategic to meet organisational goals.

The Abia Civil Service Commission boss who was represented by Commissioner 1 in the Commission, Mrs Ifeoma Agu, highlighted some of the roles of human resource practitioner to include:

attracting and retaining talents; up-skilling and re-skilling; and succession planning.

Others include: Performance-based appraisals and promotion; equity and inclusion; integration and collaboration; reward and consequences; and leveraging technology to support traditional administrative roles.

Registrar and Chief Executive of the institute, Ms Oluwatoyin Naiwo, in her remarks, predicted brighter future for the Nigeria public service with the induction of more human resource practitioners.

A total of 149 HR Practitioners and 13 Executive Route Inductees were inducted into the institute at the ceremony with the theme:”HR Professionals Driving Transformation in Public Service”