2 Day Training For Efficient Service Delivery Commences In Abuja

A two-day sensitization program for Desk Officers of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has commenced in Abuja.

The initiative aims to address existing gaps contributing to inefficiencies, poor inter-agency coordination, and inadequate understanding of operational guidelines—factors that have led to delays in service delivery to citizens.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office, in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Patience Oyekunle, emphasized the importance of the workshop in building capacity and equipping participants with the necessary tools to drive transparency, accountability, and result-oriented service delivery.

Mrs Oyekunle noted that the training is designed to deepen the desk officers’ understanding of the revised operational guidelines of both NHIA and NSITF, while also clarifying their roles, responsibilities, and points of convergence across the two agencies.

According to her, “this gathering is both timely and strategic as it reflects the Federal government’s commitment to strengthening institutional capacity, promoting synergy among key social protection institutions, and ensuring that Civil Servants benefit optimally from the programmes and services these institutions are mandated to provide.”

Mrs. Oyekunle further emphasized that, “the implementation of operational guidelines is not a one-time activity but a continuous process. Regular feedback, monitoring, and adjustments are part of the system. Therefore, I expect that after this workshop, we will establish clear feedback channels to monitor progress and resolve implementation challenges”

In their separate remarks, the NHIA representative, Mr. Sylvester Abba, and the NSITF, representative, Mrs. Nkiru Ede-Ogunnaike, expressed appreciation to the Head of Service for the opportunity, describing the training as timely and impactful.

Mr. Abba explained that the workshop was ‘to let them know their positions in NHIA, their activities, rights, and the roles they have to play.

According to Ede-Ogunnaike, “The Head of Civil Service of the Federation established that desk in order to attend to claims timely and reduce every bureaucracy that will affect any employee, who have been affected by a work place accident which could lead to disability and others”.

They stressed that desk officers are the operational backbone and the engine room of service delivery within Ministries, Departments, and Agencies and thus play a critical role in aligning operations with global best practices.

Florence Adewale, Edited By Grace Namiji