The new Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Sola Enikanolaiye, on Saturday announced a new blueprint that would make the Ministry conform with international standards.
Enikanolaiye disclosed this while interacting with the Student Officers of the 22nd Regular Course of the Nigerian Foreign Service Academy in Ijanikin, Lagos.
The Permanent Secretary, who was on his first official visit to the Ministry in Lagos, said that the blueprint would reposition the Ministry within the next two years.
“We are now set to make the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to conform to international standards.
“I have come up with a blueprint for engaging in the reform of the ministry in the next two years.
“This blueprint focuses on policy, processes and procedures in the overall operation of Nigeria’s foreign affairs.
“We are now going to be following clear-cut criteria in the selection of our foreign officers, training, and postings,” he said.
Enikanolaiye also said that the new policy would be anchored on the priorities of economic diversification, job creation and good governance, which are geared at strengthening anti-corruption initiatives and other objectives.
He also said that the ministry was going to intensify the mentoring of young officers, to enable them to develop their careers as future foreign service officers.
The permanent secretary also disclosed the Ministry’s plan to provide adequate funding for the Academy, for it to overcome its current challenges in training foreign service officers for the nation.
He also assured the students of his readiness to process the payment of their six-months’ unpaid monthly stipends by next week.
Enikanolaiye said that it was imperative for the student officers, who had completed their course in the Academy, to know that they were coming into a system that no longer condoned indiscipline at home and abroad.
The Director of the Academy, Mr Benedict Adejinle, called on him to constitute an implementation team to work on the report of the Committee for the overhaul of the Academy.
Adejinle said that the mandate of the committee was to address issues militating against the Academy’s efficiency and to develop a result-oriented curricula for improving its students’ performances.
He commended the new Permanent Secretary for the visit and assured him of the Academy’s readiness to continue to produce credible and dependable foreign service officers for Nigeria and other countries.
The high point of the visit were the Golden Awards given to the new Permanent Secretary and the Academy’s Director by the Students’ Executive Council of the Academy’s 22nd Regular Course. (NAN)