Three of every ten civil servants sent on overseas training by the Lagos State Government do not return to the country after completing their studies or training.

This is as the Commissioner for Establishments and Training, Afolabi Ayantayo revealed that 30% of civil servants sponsored abroad by the state government for studies and training failed to return upon the completion of their training.

Ayantayo made the revelation at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Center, venue of the ongoing annual Ministerial Press Briefing organised by the Ministry of Information and Strategy to commemorate Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second year in office in his second term.

Giving a report on efforts at human capital development, in which he said the government has consistently organised training programmes for its staff, Ayantayo said only 70 percent of them return to the country, as many abscond, purportedly in search of greener pastures.

The Commissioner also disclosed that a total of 23, 420 staff members benefitted from various training interventions between May 2022 and December 2024. Within the same period, over 185 training programmes were organised which cut across multiple cadres, skill levels and thematic areas relevant to public sector efficiency, leadership development and regulatory compliance,” he said.

While adding that about 8,000 staff from different Ministries, Departments and Agencies were granted approval to go on study leave in the last three years to enhance their professional skills, he also added that the State, during the period under review awarded civil servants a 35,000 wage award, as well as implemented an upward review of their minimum wage.

In the area of healthcare delivery, Ayantayo said various financial interventions were implemented in the health sector. One of them was the payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), Rural Allowance for Primary Healthcare Workers, bonus and wage award for staff of the Lagos State College of Medicine, among others.

He was however silent on the amount of severance allowance the state government paid to elected officials and political appointees whose tenure have expired, noting that what they were paid is in accordance with provisions of the Revenue Mobilisation and Allocation Committee of the Federal Government.