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In a sobering revelation at the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing, Lagos State Commissioner for Establishments and Training, Afolabi Ayantayo, disclosed that nearly 30 per cent of civil servants sent abroad for government-sponsored training have absconded.

They left for workshops, certifications, and capacity-building programs.

But once across the border, they disappeared, leaving behind a growing trust deficit and wasted public funds.

“Over the past three years, about 8,000 staff from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) were granted study leave,” the commissioner said. “But a worrying number of them have not returned. Some simply vanished after completing their training.”

The commissioner noted that despite the consistent investment by the Lagos State Government in human capital, over 185 training programs and more than 23,000 staff trained since 2022, many workers are seeking greener pastures abroad.

It is a quiet exodus. Not with protests or placards, but with passports and silence. And it underscores a larger problem...a country losing its talent, not to war or disaster, but to frustration and better offers elsewhere.

The betrayal stings. Not just because of the cost, but because it chips away at trust. Trust between government and worker. Trust between public funds and purpose.

We at ECP Channel believe this is a crisis of loyalty and leadership. It demands urgent policy reforms, stricter tracking mechanisms, and above all, a reason for professionals to stay.

Until then, we fear this trend may grow. Not just in Lagos, but nationwide.

Editorial Team, ECP Channel
_The Truth and Nothing But the Truth_