The Voice of Nigeria reports that the Kwara State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing the well-being of its workforce and ensuring that civil servants can live a decent life after retirement.

In alignment with the Seventeen World Sustainable Development Goals, the government highlighted that a key focus is on securing decent work for individuals while fostering economic growth. The administration emphasised that the days when Kwara civil servants retired with no prospects are over. The current focus is on ensuring that retirees have something to fall back on after their service.

State Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi conveyed this message to reporters in Ilorin during the maiden Kwara SDGs Convention (1st Kw-SDGs). Alabi encouraged participants to use the convention as a platform for making necessary inquiries and networking to build a solid foundation for the future.

The convention, organised by the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on SDGs, Mariam Nnafatima Imam, included lectures and panel discussions.

It was attended by some government officials, Permanent Secretaries, and other top civil servants on Grade Level 15 to 17, including Commissioner for Finance, Dr Hauwa Nuru; and Commissioner for Business Innovation and Technology, Damilola Yusuf-Adelodun.

Among the Speakers were the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Digital Innovation Ishola Kayode; founder, Tamirah Entrepreneurship Center (TEC), Rukayat Yahaya; a serial entrepreneur with focus on Water, Education and Agriculture, Gegele Yahya Olushola; Managing Director, CNN Limited, Nelson Daramola; and an associate Professor of Enterprise Creation, Incubation and Development (ECID) at the Kwara State University (KWASU), Rahman Oladimeji Mustapha.

“The state government is in support of the SDGs which is a blueprint for the global future. We are creating an atmosphere where an average retiree can say ‘yes it paid me when I was working with the government and I have something meaningful to be doing afterwards,” the Deputy Governor said.

He was represented by the Commissioner for Communication Bola Olukoju.

The SSA to the Governor on SDGs and convener of 1st Kwara SDGs Convention, Nnafatima, said they organized the programme to equip participants with relevant skills and strategies needed to harness opportunities and thrive in agriculture, entrepreneurship and ICT.

“Our goal is to explore vital topics that will not only help us navigate the present but also ensure a prosperous and secure future for everyone, especially those approaching retirement in the Civil Service,” she said.

“We aim to equip participants with the knowledge and strategies needed to harness opportunities in agriculture, information and communication technology, entrepreneurship, and other related fields of endeavor, so you can thrive both professionally and personally which is in line with SDG Goal 8, 9, 11 and 12.”

She said they conducted surveys and realized that many civil servants usually develop phobia when going for retirement, adding that they need enlightenment on how to cope after leaving the Service.

“We are focusing on civil servants because after conducting surveys we realized some sorts of retirement syndrome that come up when civil servants are about to retire

“From the survey, we were able to find out that they need an enlightenment programme like this so that they don’t have a phobia and they can move on even after retirement. Let it be an incubation period for them to carry on smoothly.”

She said the training would be a continuous exercise, adding that the plan includes introducing how the trainees can access loans, international grants and other skills for them to grow.

Ishola, in his lecture, spoke on some of the opportunities in digital innovation, including how it enables the government and participants to diversify the economy.

He said the digital world offers a lot of opportunities that retirees can leverage to network their businesses and meet their economic needs.

“For us to be able to bring life into Sustainable Development Goals in our state and in our country, we have to leverage digital innovation. In the hall, we have retirees, government officials, and people from civil society groups speaking on collaboration, accountability and transparency. These are key things that can only be driven through the adoption of digital innovation.”

Olushola Gegele, whose lecture was titled “Agricultures: Sustainable Practices and Opportunities for Retirees”, dwelled on how participants can harness the potential of organic waste to create wealth and become self-sufficient.

He said sawdust and rice shafts, after burning and left for a period of time in a container, can generate mushrooms, whose waste he said can be used as manure for farming.

“Let’s go for waste management if we want to harness the future. Using what we have locally to create economic prosperity. This is where the World is going. Retirees can look at what they see as waste around them and strive to turn it into what can give them income.”