Lagos
State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, at the weekend, unveiled the plan
by his administration to cut the cost of governance in the state by
streamlining some ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), while new
ones would be created.
Unlike his immediate predecessor,
Mr. Babatunde Fashola, the governor disclosed that he had relocated to
the Lagos House in Ikeja, which he said, suggested that all public
servants in the state should be at duty posts on or before 8a.m.
He disclosed these plans at inaugural meeting he held with the Body
of Permanent Secretaries at the Lagos House, Ikeja, alongside his
deputy, Dr. Oluranti Adebule and Secretary to the State Government, Mr.
Olatunji Bello, among others.
At the meeting, Ambode explained
the significance of public service in governance, noting that the state
civil service would drive the change and continuity, which he had
designed to pursue purposefully in the next four years.
The
governor added that he planned “to strengthen the civil service and
continue with the reforms through which he will carry out his policies,”
thus urging the permanent secretaries to see themselves as front
runners of his administration.
He explained that he would take
advantage of the experience he garnered in the public service to
transform the state to a true status of Africa’s model megacity and make
it the first place of choice for investors and tourists.
Ambode told them about his plan for the new offices, though some
existing MDAs “will be streamlined in order to ensure that the cost of
governance is reduced, while ensuring greater efficiency and
effectiveness in public service.”
He noted that part of his
inaugural speech dwelt on the creation of a Ministry of Wealth Creation
and Employment, which he said, would ensure that not only “will the
state government create wealth, but ensure that when investments from
foreign sources drops, a pro-active situation is in place to take care
of them.”
He said since the All Progressives Congress (APC)
“has already formed a government at the centre, investments are also
bound to drop from the centre and that when such investments come, the
state should have a front desk office that will attend to such people
bringing in the investments or people with interest to bring them in.”
The governor disclosed that some agencies would be returned “to their
original supervising agencies to ensure that the control which used to
be in place for those agencies returns. Permanent secretaries must
exercise the authority that comes with their positions efficiently and
ensure that each officer works for the position he has attained.”
He added that all his latest pronouncements “are not about reinventing
the wheel, but mainly to take full advantage the experience I garnered
while in the Public Service of Lagos State. I will not be reinventing
the wheel with my pronouncements.”
Credit: Gboyega Akinsanmi/ThisDay
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