This Newspaper, therefore, calls on CMD to use the window of this ban to position itself for the right leadership in the development of the nation’s capacity building, particularly in the aspect of human resource development
The federal Government of Nigeria, through a circular from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service, recently placed a ban on foreign training to all workers in the federal ministries and agencies. And consequent upon the circular, the country’s Centre for Management Development (CMD) stated that it would soon commence inspection and accreditation of all management consultants and institutions in the country.
According to the Director-General of CMD, Kabir Kabo Usman, the Centre, after the receipt of the circular, was now ready to commence inspection and accreditation. This is to enable it put its house in order to take over the task of providing quality training and capacity building for Nigerian workers. He stressed that the circular has given it a bit more power and task to battle the challenges of providing adequate and quality training for the nation’s manpower.
Though coming a little too late, this circular from the Office of the Head of Civil Service, however, deserves commendation. Before the circular on the ban for overseas’ training ,not a few Nigerians had raised reservations on these foreign trainings, which they claimed served more as an opportunity for the beneficiaries to earn estacodes, and not the needed human capacity building. This of course is believed to have been responsible for the scramble for overseas training in government ministries and agencies.
To go by Usman’s account, the country spends over $158 million yearly on overseas training. This is in spite of the availability of local management resource centres like the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), Nigerian Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPS), as well as the Nigerian Institute for Management (NIM), which the CMD has been working in partnership with. In this age and time, and except in areas where the nation appears deficient, it beats logic for government officials to be sent on foreign training. Government must learn to develop and patronize local content, which the CMD and its recognized institutions and consultants represent.
As the operational arm of the National Council for Management Development, CMD is ably charged with the responsibility of inspecting and registering management consultants in terms of their code of practice in Nigeria. It is therefore unfortunate that rather than refer to the CMD as a first point of call in their training needs, ministries and agencies prefer to fly off-shore for trainings which could be conveniently and professionally done locally. This is sad as those in charge of these trainings only end up presenting themselves to Nigerians as turncoats.
This Newspaper, therefore, calls on CMD to use the window of this ban to position itself for the right leadership in the development of the nation’s capacity building, particularly in the aspect of human resource development.
