Bring local govt closer to the people, Sanwo-Olu charges new Local Govt. Service Commission members
Ayodele Olalere
Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday charged members of the Lagos State Local Government Service Commission, to bring governance at the local government closer to the grassroots.
At the swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed members held at the State House, Ikeja, the governor said the local government is the closest to the people, and as such the people should feel positive effects of the governance at the local government level.
“Early last month, I forwarded to the Lagos State House of Assembly a list of nominees for the positions of Chairman and members of the Lagos State Local Government Service Commission for confirmation. This was in line with relevant provisions of our laws and followed the expiration of the tenure of the immediate past occupants of those offices. I thank the Speaker and members of the House of Assembly for their usual cooperation, which ensured the confirmation of all five nominees in less than one month.
I congratulate the newly sworn-in Chairman, Mr Kamal Baiyewu, and members of the Commission: Taofeek Adaranijo, Ahmed Seriki, Engineer Biodun Orekoya and Akeem Bamgbola for being found worthy of this appointment based on your track record of service to our State. You have been appointed in line with the policy of this administration to ensure that round pegs are put in round holes,” the governor said.
He added: ” As former chairmen of Local Government Councils and Local Council Development Areas, you have the requisite knowledge and experience to effectively discharge the responsibilities of your new offices.
As we all know, the local government is the most important tier of government because it is the closest to the people. The policies implemented at the local government level are those with a direct impact on the lives of the people. It is therefore imperative for us to ensure that we pay greater attention to local government administration if we are to achieve our objective of inclusive governance and enhanced service delivery at the grassroots level.
You have been appointed to fulfil our mandate of bringing governance closer to the people. You have all been in positions of leadership at the local government level and you know what needs to be done for the electorate to feel our impact in our Local Government Councils and Local Council Development Areas. I charge you with the responsibility of engendering socio-economic reforms at the local government level; you must ensure that our councils have what it takes to provide satisfactory and effective public service.”
The governor further said the commission “has the important role of overseeing recruitment, promotion, discipline, and career management.
He urged the new members to’ “exercise due diligence by ensuring that all your decisions are guided by relevant rules and guidelines.
“You must also strive to be fair and just in all your decisions because this will go a long way in boosting the morale of council workers. I am hopeful that you will provide visionary leadership that will eventually engender better councils with the capacity to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people. ”
The Chairman of the Commission, Hon Kamal Bayewu, who was a former Chairman of Ajeromi Ifelodun local government, in his vote of assurance on behalf of other members, assured the governor that the new members would work to create a ‘well-motivated local government civil service that could compete with others in the world.”
In his speech, the Head of Service, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola, said this is the first in the history of the Commission in the state where former chairmen of local governments would be appointed into the Commission.
