Gov. Sanwo-Olu with the new perm. secs. |
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday, appointed eight Permanent Secretaries across ministries and departments, bringing the number to 59. The Governor swore in the new Permanent Secretaries at a ceremony held at the State House, Alausa.
Sanwo-Olu
told the appointees that their selection for the positions, after undergoing
rigorous screening procedures, was approved based on the knowledge, commitment,
dedication and professionalism they brought to bear in the service of the
State.
Mr.
Adewuyi Moshood Adewale was appointed as Permanent Secretary and Auditor
General of the State. His appointment is, however, subject to the clearance and
confirmation by the House of Assembly.
The
Governor, who described the screening process as merit-driven, said the
established standards instituted by his administration for the appointment of
Permanent Secretaries had continued to bring out the best among the personnel
within the State’s workforce.
Sanwo-Olu
charged the Permanent Secretaries, who he said will be driving the machinery of
government, to bring additional levels of commitment, loyalty and service to
the State in their respective capacities, stressing that the new
responsibilities placed higher expectations on them to justify their appointments
to the positions.
He
said: “With your appointment to the position of Permanent Secretary, what is
expected of you is an additional level of loyalty, commitment and service to
the citizens of Lagos. Given your pedigree and professional experience, I expect
nothing less than excellent and result-oriented leadership in your respective
posts. Your work must speak excellently for itself. I urge the new appointees
to discharge their duties with minimal supervision.
“As
a Government, we will continue to identify and reward public servants who give
in their best in service of our State. We are in service to ensure Lagos
continues to thrive for businesses and habitable for people. Our citizens must
get these dividends in whatever areas we are discharging our responsibilities.
You must know too well that our service must be for the benefit of tax payers,
who will be measuring the government’s overall performance.”
Sanwo-Olu
pledged that his administration would continue to support the State's workforce
in the areas of capacity building, motivation and reward system in order to
enhance efficiency and sustain the civil service as one of the most effective
in Africa.
The
Governor said the rapid elevation of personnel in the top cadre had created a
pathway for career advancement for young people in the civil service, noting
that his Government would not relent in creating opportunities for the youth in
service to attain their career aspirations.
“To
citizens who see public service as a place to grow their career, Lagos remains
the best choice to start a career in public service. We will continue to
produce the best quality of civil servants that are service-oriented. We will
not stop until our citizens feel the impact of purposeful governance across
areas of service. The Greater Lagos we are about will happen and it is what we
are committed to. We are on track and it will happen in our lifetime.”
The
Governor, again, projected gender balance in the latest appointment. Of the
eight Permanent Secretary appointees, four are women, while the rest are men.
The
Head of Service (HOS), Mr. Hakeem Muri-Olu, said the process for appointing
Permanent Secretary, as instituted by the Sanwo-Olu administration, was not
only fair and transparent, but also rigorous and at par with best practice
across the world.
Represented
by Mrs. Olasunkanmi Oyegbola, Permanent Secretary, Public Service Office, the
HOS said the Governor should take full credit for the merit-driven procedures
instituted in Lagos public service.
The
Governor, Muri-Okunola said, was impressed with the performance of medical
doctors in the screening exercise for Permanent Secretary position and agreed
in principle to the proposed reforms in the health sector, which will further
pave the way for the appointment of more medical doctors into the body of
Permanent Secretaries.
The
modality for the process, HOS disclosed, is being fine-tuned by his office in
conjunction with Permanent Secretaries in the health sector.
He
said: “It is to be noted that the now instituted procedure of appointing
Permanent Secretary is not only fair and transparent, but also rigorous and at
par with the best of its kind anywhere in the world. I am proud to acknowledge
that the Governor takes full credit for this initiative.
“The
quality and standard selection process was in line with the Governor’s
commitment to repositioning the State public service for improved service
delivery. All the appointees have since resumed at their respective positions.”
Until
his confirmation by the House of Assembly, Adewuyi will remain a Permanent
Secretary, Muri-Okunola said.
Newly
appointed Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Waterfront Infrastructure
Development, Mrs Olayinka Patunola-Ajayi, who gave vote of assurance on behalf
of the appointees, pledged not to take the Governor’s confidence in them for
granted.
“We
will work with you, Mr. Governor, to achieve your Greater Lagos vision for the
State,” she said.
Other
Permanent Secretaries appointed are Adebowale Adeoye Bashir (Tutor-General,
Education District 1), Dr Yusuf Shareefah Adejoke (Tutor-General, Education
District VI), Amuni Abayomi Mustapha (Tutor-General, Education District V), Mrs
Olushekun Bibilomo Olayide (Office of Local Government Establishments and
Training), Mr Obadina Akinbode (Local Government Service Commission) and Mrs
Akanbi Adenike Ganiat (Office of the Chief of Staff).
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