Mai Mala Buni’s ASCON award
By Salisu Na’inna Dambatta

The Governor of Yobe state, Mai Mala Buni, was on November 12, 2025, confered with an award by the Federal government-owned Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON).

The Management of the Badagary-based instititution said the Award of Excellence in Human Capital Development and Public Service Transformation was conferred on him in recognition of his administration’s consistency in sponsoring the training of civil servants from his state in the College.

The Director General of ASCON, Dr Funke Adepoju, said during the award presentation that, the administration of Mai Mala Buni has been investing in the training of bureaucrats in the College right from the beginning of his two-term tenure in 2019.

The award presentation came around the time about 149 senior civil servants from the state were graduating from the College after an intensive leadership training programme which focused on Human and Financial Resources Management.

And in 2023 the Yobe State government sponsored 76 officers drawn from the directorate and senior officers levels for training at the College.

Adepoju said the award was to show genuine appreciation of Governor Mala Buni’s partnership with the College, adding that Yobe state recorded the largest number of participants in ASCON’s training history.

“I wish to once again express our deep appreciation to the Governor of Yobe State, for his unwavering support, and to the Head of Service, for graciously representing him at this ceremony,” she said.

The Yobe state Head of the Civil Service, Alhaji Abdullahi Shehu said the governor has strengthened the service through sustained training and recruitment across various cadres.”

He added adding that his principal “had been very supportive of the state civil servants in prompt payment of salaries and various welfare packages.”

“These packages include provision of affordable housing, payment of furniture allowance, and provision of relief material in food and non-food items,” recalling that the governor recently approved N7.9 billion to pay gratuities to state and local government retirees.

The Yobe state government led by Mai Mala Buni has consistently invested in the development and enhancement of the capacity of its civil servants of all cadres in ASCON and other institutions.

For instance, Permanent Secretaries from the state had a management retreat at the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN), Abuja, where they discussed “Succession Planning, Leadership Continuity, and Institutional Sustainability in the Yobe State Public Service.”

The administration also sponsored 127 directors and other senior staff for advanced training in leadership at the same Abuja-based institute.

Many Yobe state civil servants were trained in Artificial Intelligence, leadership and management skills for smooth leadership transitions, financial management and accountability for improved public service efficiency at the Damaturu-based Biomedical Science Research and Training Center (BioRTC) of the Yobe State University.

And the Yobe State Information Technology Development Agency (YITDA) trained public servants from the state in the deployment and use of digital technology for efficient service delivery, innovation, and good governance.

The training of staff of the Yobe state Education Management Information System (EMIS) drawn from the Yobe state Ministry of Education and the 17 Local Government Areas of the state by YITDA was timely as the West African Examination Council (WAEC) wants to start conducting computer-based West African School Certificate (WASC) examination from 2026.

Information officers posted to Yobe state Ministries. Departments and Agencies and those serving in the 17 local government areas were trained to enhance their capacity in communicating government policies. activities and projects to the public.

The Yobe State Government has partnered with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in sponsoring a three-day workshop to enhance the journalistic capacity of Damaturu-based national media correspondents.

The training was themed, “The Nigeria Union of Journalists, Democratic Governance and Contemporary Issues in the Development of Yobe State.”

As an alumni of both ASCON and the Public Service Institute, one can testify to the efficacy of the training programmes in the institutions in bolstering efficiency in public administration.

Salisu Na’inna Dambatta is a senior journalist.