Lagos State govt raises over failure of workers to return after training in abroad

By Sampson Uhuegbu

  Lagos State Commissioner for Establishments and Training, Afolabi Ayantayo, on Wednesday, revealed that 30% of the state civil service personnel, on state-sponsored training, failed to return upon the completion of their training.

Ayantayo made the revelation while speaking at a briefing on the activities of his ministry to mark the second year of the second term of the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

In his speech, the Commissioner stated that as a way of improving the human capacity development of its staff, the state government had consistently organised training programmes abroad for its staff.

When asked how many staff returned home from such trainings, Ayantayo lamented that while 70% returned, 30% failed to come back.

“A total of 23, 420 staff members benefitted from various training interventions between May 2022 and December 2024. Within the same period, over 185 training programmes were organised, which cut across multiple cadres, skill levels, and thematic areas relevant to public sector efficiency, leadership development, and regulatory compliance,” he said.

He added that about 8,000 staff from different Ministries, departments, and Agencies were granted approval to go on study leave in the last three years to enhance their professional skills.

He mentioned the implementation and upward review of minimum wage by N35,000 by Governor Sanwo-Olu as part of the achievements of the ministry.

In the area of health, Ayantayo said various financial interventions were implemented in the health sector.

One of them is the payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), Rural Allowance for Primary Healthcare Workers, bonus, and wage award for staff of the Lagos State College of Medicine, among others.

He was, however, silent on the amount of severance allowance the state government paid to political office holders, whose tenure had expired.