The Institute for Service Excellence and Good Governance (ISEGG) has conferred on the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, a Lifetime award for Banking, Finance and National Development.

Mr. Emefiele was given the lifetime award on Thursday at the first Annual lecture, Awards and Induction ceremony of the Institute for Service Excellence and good Governance which was held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in the nation’s capital Abuja.

The CBN Governor, who was represented at the ceremony by his Special Adviser on Financial Markets, Mr. Emmanuel Ukeje, appreciated ISEGG for the award which he said was in recognition of the sacrifice undertaken by the CBN in the last two years in efforts to move the nation’s economy forward.

The Governor stated that CBN as an Institution was committed to the ideals of excellence in service delivery.

In his comments, the father of the day, a former CBN Deputy Governor and one-time Minster of National Planning, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, said he was enthused by the fact that the Institute for Service Excellence and Good Governance, was being run by young people who believe that things can be done differently in the country and their programmes are targeting the youths. He however, expressed worry of the attitude of the youths and stressed the urgent need for a value re-orientation.

Delivering the keynote address, the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reform, Dr. Joe Abah, said for the country to develop, its public service must be one that is action driven, explains its actions to the public and allows for engagement and consultation with citizens.

Continuing, Dr. Abah who was represented at the event by a Deputy Director and Technical Assistant to the DG, BPSR, Mr. Sylvester Inyang-Anyang said the Public Service of the future needs to be more innovative, better integrated, more strategic and more customer oriented. Dr Abah added that achieving these goals would not be easy but that a commitment to the reform process would translate to a new public service that would serve the needs of the citizens.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Chief Host and President/Chief Operating Officer of the Institute for Service Excellence and Good Governance, (ISEGG) Mr. Tope Fasua, said the Institute is a private sector initiative which was aimed at augmenting efforts of Government as well as the corporate sector in instituting the ideals of service excellence in Nigeria. He said that the ISEGG initiative was an attempt to enthrone and embrace corporate and public sector governance in the country.

He said the world over, the service sector has turned out to be the largest contributor to most nations’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and as such service delivery must be taken to high levels.

Mr. Fasua hinted that the ISEGG initiative was fashioned after the Dubai Excellence Programme and the EFQM Excellence Model.

The event was the maiden annual lecture, award and induction of the Institute.

•Photo shows Special Adviser to the CBN Governor on Financial Markets, Mr. Emmanuel Ukeje, receiving on behalf of the Governor, a lifetime award for Banking, Finance & National Development from CEO of ISEGG, Mr. Tope Fasua.