The Lagos State Government has dismissed recent reports suggesting that 30 percent of state employees failed to return after attending government-sponsored overseas training programmes, describing the claims as misleading and inaccurate.
Commissioner for Establishments and Training, Mr. Afolabi Ayantayo, clarified in a statement made available to DIP CONNECT ONLINE NEWS that the issue actually concerns staff who were granted study leave without pay—not those officially sponsored by the government for overseas training.
Ayantayo issued the clarification in response to misinterpretations of his comments during a ministerial press briefing held to mark Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second year in office for his second term. He explained that some public servants who were granted study leave without pay—often for personal academic advancement abroad—had failed to return to service upon completing their studies.
“These individuals applied for and were granted study leave without pay. They are not civil servants who were sent on official government-sponsored training programmes,” he stressed.
He emphasized that the number of such cases is manageable and that the state government has mechanisms in place to review and strengthen policies regarding study leave.
Ayantayo added that the government is actively working to ensure accountability across all categories of personnel development, including proper bonding and monitoring after leave periods.
He reiterated Lagos State’s commitment to capacity-building through structured local and international training, and noted that the majority of beneficiaries of such official programmes return and make meaningful contributions to the public service.
ADEOLA KUNLE
