NAPSAS, POHAN: Acknowledging Hard Work and Awarding Excellence
At a time when Nigeria is witnessing a dearth in public service and leadership in the nation when the best are afraid of taking responsibilities because the crisis the nation is witnessing through insecurity seems to be defiling the wisdom of the intelligentsia, Public Office Holders Association of Nigeria a group created to encourage good governance and to bridge the gap in public and leadership deficiency has taken it upon itself to encourage those officeholders and leaders who have been able to distinguish themselves by achieving a sterling performance either in public service or governance.
Birthed to create and achieve effective, transparent and useful mentoring, POHAN was also set up to encourage good leadership, governance and continuation of good works handed over by performing successive government. POHAN also has a sister body named NAPSAS (National Public Service Awards and Summit), who is saddled with the responsibilities of organising merit awards, educative lectures and mentorship summit
One of the problems the nation is facing is in the area of mentoring and continuity, one will notice for a fact that Nigeria leaders and the government do not treat governance as a continuum, successive government who succeeds an outgoing one will rather start a fresh project that can be named after their administration rather than complete an existing and almost completed project initiated by an outgone government. This is not only a waste of resources and taxpayers’ monies but an ineffective way of governing and building a lasting infrastructure for the nation.
In the time past, one has seen good examples in Nigeria where, an outgoing government will hand over projects to their successor from the same party, to the dismay of party stalwart and the indigenes of such state or area, the successor will look away from such projects to start a new one in their name. Most of these kinds of “self” induced projects are referred to as “my legacy”, by such a successor. The recurring question on the lips of indigenes and taxpayers, which POHAN aims to address is what happens to the lofty and half-done projects instituted by the outgone government for the people? Why “self”, not the “we” or “citizenry” mantra?
POHAN recognises that there is no better time than now for leaders, stakeholders and private sector drivers to come together with a common voice devoid of ethnicity, religion, ego and greed in raising or harnessing the energetic youths of the nation and reining them into good leadership in other to present them for the great task of building the nation’s future.
Dr MD Eseyin, the National President of POHAN and the Director General of NAPSAS, believes that the association which is comprised of present and past public office holders are the right people who can through the collaboration of eminent stakeholders, corporate organisations, captains of industries and past political office holders rejig the nation back to course by not only organising lectures, seminars, symposium, walk but also organising award of excellence to encourage those who have excelled in their various fields of leadership endeavour without inanities and unnecessary bickering.
In her maiden edition, come 28″ October 2021, the Public Office Holders Association of Nigeria (POHAN), through her sister body, which is also her Award & Summit arm, named, the National Public Service Awards and Summit (NAPSAS); which is saddled with the responsibilities of awarding excellence, will be hosting eminent personalities to lectures, panel and round table discussion and presentation of service merit award to deserving and exemplary Nigerian leaders, industrialist and those who have made a mark in one area or the other at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja.
This will be done in other to encourage those who have served the nation passionately and those who have excelled, in their fields of personal endeavours. This also will encourage budding youths, entrepreneurs and intending leaders and political office holders to learn at the foot of those who have been there or are still there.
NAPSAS, which is a transparent sister organisation to POHAN, is doing everything within its power in ensuring an open and transparent voting system to determine the winners of this merit award.
Voting through their website http://wwwpublicserviceawards.org had begun on the 8th of March 2021 and it’s expected to close on the 1st of October 2021. The public is also enjoined to visit the Facebook page of NAPSAS for life update @PublicServiceAward/Facebook and their Instagram @publicserviceawards for more details.
