By Lukman Olabiyi
Lagos State Government has disclosed that 30 percent of its civil servants who embarked on state-sponsored training programmes abroad failed to return after they completed their programmes.
Commissioner for Establishments and Training, Afolabi Ayantayo, made the revelation yesterday during a ministerial press briefing to mark the second anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term in office.
According to the Commissioner, the state government had invested significantly in human capacity development by organising both local and international training programmes for civil servants across various ministries and departments.
However, a significant number of beneficiaries have not returned to resume duty, in what appears to be an extension of the ‘Japa’ phenomenon, the wave of mass emigration by Nigerians seeking better opportunities abroad.
“Out of those sent abroad for training, 70 percent returned, while 30 percent, unfortunately, did not come back.”
Ayantayo disclosed that between May 2022 and December 2024, 23,420 civil servants benefited from various training interventions. Over 185 training programmes were organised during the period, spanning multiple cadres and thematic areas relevant to enhancing public sector efficiency, leadership skills and regulatory compliance.
He noted that approximately 8,000 civil servants were granted study leave in the last three years as part of efforts to further develop professional competencies across the workforce.
Highlighting other achievements of the Ministry, he pointed to the implementation of a N35000 increment in the minimum wage for civil servants by Governor Sanwo-Olu.
In the health sector, he said the government had disbursed several financial incentives, including the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), rural allowances for primary healthcare workers, bonuses and wage awards for the staff of the Lagos State College of Medicine.
However, the Commissioner did not provide details on severance packages paid to outgoing political office holders, a subject that remained unaddressed during the briefing.