Adeyinka Adeniji 
The Lagos State Government yesterday clarified comments in which the Commissioner for Establishments and Training Afolabi Ayantayo was quoted as saying on Wednesday that 30 per cent of its civil servants sent overseas for training had failed to return to Nigeria. Ayantayo made the clarification after the said comment sparked public outrage.
According to him, those referred to are not officials sponsored by the state government. He said: “We need to make an important distinction. The individuals being referred to are those who applied for and were granted study leave without pay.
“This is often to pursue personal academic programmes abroad, not civil servants sent on official training programmes.”
The commissioner said the number of such cases remains under control, with mechanisms in place to review and strengthen regulations guiding study leave policies.
Ayantayo stressed that efforts are ongoing to ensure accountability across all categories of personnel development, including bonding and post-leave return monitoring.
