Oyo Government has inaugurated a Committee towards the planning and organisation of the 2023 Civil Service Games.
The Committee comprises representatives of the Office of the Head of Service, Ministry of Youth and Sports, Agency for Youth Development, Oyo State Sports Council, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress.
While welcoming members of the Committee to the inauguration ceremony, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Youths and Sports, Mrs Bukola Oladipo, stated that the Civil Service Games which was originally billed to take off in 2017 is meant to come up annually among workers in the Oyo State Civil Service.
The competition, according to her, is intended to create an atmosphere of socio-interaction and enhance cordiality among the workforce for better efficiency at work. It is also envisaged to be an avenue to re-energize the body and prepare the workforce for the task ahead.
She stated that the sports and games that have been listed for participation at the Civil Service Games include:
1. Mental Games such as Ayo Olopon, Draught, Scrabble, Chess and Ludo
2. Physical Games such as Football, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Tennis and Badminton
The representative of the Governor at the Ceremony, the Executive Assistant to the Governor (Administration) Rev. Idowu Ogedengbe, while giving his inaugural speech stated that the Committee has the following terms of reference:
(i) Plan and determine commencement and conclusion of the competition;
(ii) Give the competition a wide publicity in order to ensure participation of all civil servants;
(iii) Source for additional fund to augment the state government’s provision.
He commended the Administration of His Excellency Governor Seyi Makinde as not being oblivious of the need to forge a generally conducive atmosphere in which all civil servants across the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Oyo State can come together to socialize and interact thereby enhancing greater bonding, cordial relationship, enhanced unity and improved commitment to a common sense of purpose among the workforce.
He stated further “This is critically important for better efficiency and increased productivity at work. His Excellency firmly believes that incorporating games and other forms of sporting activities into the work environment makes work feel more exciting, fun and not a burdensome chore. The contribution therefore that a sport competition can bring to the productivity of the workforce through the participation of workers in one form of sports or the other cannot be overemphasized. The health benefits associated with the participation of civil servants in sporting activities at this competition will go a long way in boosting the morale of the workforce within the State public service.”
He observed that the Committee for the Civil Service Games is being inaugurated at a time that coincides with the implementation of the SAfER intervention programme under Omituntun 2.0 Roadmap for Sustainable Development (2023-2027), which is designed for the good of the people of Oyo State. This demonstrates the commitment of the Administration of Governor Seyi Makinde to both the public service workforce and the general masses in Oyo State.
He encouraged members of the Committee to bring their wealth of experience to bear in the process of planning and organizing the Civil Service Games in order to justify the confidence the government has reposed in them.
