By Kayode Fasua
To mark this year’s Public Service Day, which would hold on June 23, the United Nations has advised public service workers worldwide to commemorate the day only through zoom meetings to avoid contracting the COVID-19 disease.
This was disclosed to THISDAY in Abeokuta yesterday by the National Coordinator of Public Office Holders Association of Nigeria (POHAN), Deola Eseyin, who said public office holders in Nigeria would be guided by the guidelines set by the world body.
He said the POHAN had since last year slated a public parley for tomorrow’s event titled: ‘Action Today, Impact Tomorrow’, but that the session had since been cancelled owing to the spread of coronavirus.
“In its place, we have come up with a zoom meeting tagged: #NigeriaDependsOnMe, which will draw together global leaders who will be speaking at the event,” Eseyin said.
He added that those expected to address Nigeria’s public office holders through the zoom meeting include Dr. Clyde Rivers, Dr. Leong Ying, Dr. Victoria Michaels, all from the United States of America; the Chief Executive Officer of Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, Mr. Babatunde Irukera, and the Executive Vice Chairman of Verdant Zeal Nigeria, Dr. Chris Imumolen.
Others are: Dr. Tunji Ologbodi, Dr. Sunday Onalo, Mr. Robert Schmidt, Mr. Suleman Momoh and Ms Suzan Ade-Coker.
The zoom meeting, Eseyin stressed, is expected to provide a platform for participants to reflect on how to progress in realising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and more importantly, on how to use the lessons of COVID-19 to strengthen institutions and processes in Nigeria.
The UN General Assembly had set aside June 23 of every year as Public Service Day, aimed at celebrating the value and virtue of public service to the community.
