Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has charged the nine newly sworn-in permanent secretaries in the state to adopt best practice and shun divisive tendencies in the discharge of their duties.
Obaseki gave the charge at the swearing-in ceremony of the permanent secretaries on Tuesday February 22, 2022, at Government House, Benin City, the state capital.
The permanent secretaries are: Iryn Ekhorose Omorogiuwa, Efosa Aisien, Nyamali Joseph Erumuse, Igbinomwanhia Naps Abieyuwa, Imoihosen Solomon Oziegbe and Peter Aibuedefe Osagie.
Others are Sabina A. Chikere, Osawemwenze Edith Kayode-Iyasere and Bernard Aigbe.
According to the governor, “these appointments were not made on the basis of any political affiliation; they have been made principally on the capacity of the individuals involved.”
He stressed that “no government can succeed no matter how lofty her initiatives and ideas, without a strong and competent civil and public service.”
He maintained that his administration’s resolve to work with competent people is “in line with my promise which I made during my electioneering campaign for my second term that I would bring the much needed transformation to the civil service by enhancing and strengthening the human capacity.
“So what we are doing today, some people find strange but it is the only way to go, which is to professionalise our civil service and make sure that only competent and proven people who have a track record can now manage our public service.”
Obaseki added: “We have also introduced a mix of people from the outside because we are talking about public service, people who can render service to us, it doesn’t mean that only one set of orientation can do this; we need diversity both in terms of experience and gender.
“I want to use this opportunity to reiterate here that I am fully committed to redeeming my campaign pledges through the six thematic pillars on which the Mega Agenda rests.”
He recalled that Edo citizens demonstrated their trust and support for his administration “by voting us back into power to continue the good work which was visible to them during our first tenure in office.”
The governor emphasised that “It is therefore only right and justified that we reciprocate through quality governance and leaving lasting legacies for the people of Edo State, one of which will be a professional, formidable and highly motivated civil service workforce.
“While all institutional reforms are ongoing, I therefore charge the new permanent secretaries, that in line with the vision and mission of our state, we must all now work collaboratively with the existing teams that are on ground to realize the transformation goal of our government.
“As I have always repeated; that we have no choice, the days of receiving huge allocations from the federal government are coming to an end, we must now look at the way to organize ourselves properly and rely on ourselves internally.
“I want to urge all of you to be dedicated in the discharge of your duty and we work together as a team. We will not accept you playing politics.
“You are not the political heads of these agencies. Leave politics for the political heads, do your work as professionals. So as you assume duties in your various ministries, note that we don’t want super stars, a lot of work has already been deployed, so we expect you to key in and adjust whatever we have done which you think may not be adequate.
“You are not coming to reinvent the wheel and start the process, no you are not. There is a Mega Agenda and we have to key into that Agenda so that we get to our destination much quicker than we have planned.”
He advised that Nigeria was fast changing and only a new orientation that promotes unity is needed at this time. “Nigeria is changing, we will not allow ourselves to be divided and manipulated again, Edo is one. Whether you are in the South, Edo Central or Edo North, Edo is one.
“So when people begin to manipulate and try to create divisions where they do not exist, telling lies and manufacturing information and figures where they don’t exist, just because they want to continue to divide us and manipulate us, they have now gotten a Government that has refused to be divided. Many of us share lineage across the state, so where is this issue of dividing people coming from?”
Responding on behalf of the permanent secretaries, Mr Bernard Aigbe, thanked the governor for providing the enabling environment for civil servants to perform optimally.
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