Lagos State Governor, Mr. 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”, he said.
Sanwo-Olu, 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, Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola said that the process for appointing Permanent Secretaries, 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 the Permanent Secretary in the Public Service Office, Mrs. Olasunkanmi Oyegbola, the Head of Service said the Governor should take full credit for the merit-driven procedures instituted in Lagos public service.
He said the Governor 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.
Muri-Okunola said that the modality for the process 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 explained.
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 assured.
Other Permanent Secretaries were Adeoye Bashir Adebowale (Tutor-General, Education District 1), Dr Shareefah Adejoke Yusuf (Tutor-General, Education District VI), Abayomi Mustapha Amuni (Tutor-General, Education District V), Mrs Bibilomo Olayide Olushekun (Office of Local Government Establishments and Training), Mr Akinbode Obadina (Local Government Service Commission) and Mrs Adenike Ganiat Akanbi (Office of the Chief of Staff).
