Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, on Wednesday performed the swearing-in of three new permanent secretaries into the State Public Service, charging the new appointees to bring their professionalism to bear and impact positively on the lives of people of the state.
The three new permanent secretaries, whose appointments were announced earlier, are Engineer Temidayo Erinle, Mrs Abiola Adetutu and Dr Mrs Atinuke Onayiga.
The governor spoke at the State Executive Council Chambers at Lagos House, Ikeja, stressing the fact that the appointment of the new permanent secretaries was in tandem with the laid down tradition of deploying the best human capital to deliver on government’s promises to the people of the state and thus were based on merit, integrity and a record of selfless service.
He congratulated the new appointees and urged them not to see their appointment as compensation or favour, but a call to greater service and as such they must continue to raise the bar of excellence which the State is known for.
“Therefore, I enjoin the new appointees not to see their appointment as compensation or a reward for favours done to anybody but to value it as a call to higher service, where their actions or inactions will have an impact on the lives of Lagosians.
“”I urge you to settle in quickly to your new responsibilities. I am positive that your wealth of service and professional experiences will be deployed in assisting our administration to make lives better and more meaningful for our people,” Governor Ambode said.
“As a government, we believe strongly that to maintain and surpass the current record of our socio-economic and political development, we must continue to raise the bar and ensure that only individuals with these qualities are saddled with the task of executing government policies and programmes”, he added.
Earlier in her opening remarks, the Acting Head of Service, Mrs. Folashade Adesoye, said the appointment of the three permanent secretaries was as a result of her appointment as the Acting Head of Service and the recent retirement of two permanent secretaries, hence the need to fill the vacant positions.
In his vote of assurance, Engineer Erinle, who responded on behalf of other appointees, thanked the governor for their appointments and assured him that he and his colleagues would carry out their responsibilities diligently and efficiently.