Politics
LASG Trains Perm Secs, Seeks Better Results
The Lagos State Government yesterday trained its Body of Permanent Secretaries on competence to enhance their jobs.
Speaking during the three-day ‘On-boarding and Executive Development Retreat’ for Permanent Secretaries held in Victoria Island, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu urged them to perform their duties diligently.
Sanwo-Olu called on the Permanent Secretaries to work collaboratively, in line with the government’s T.H.E.M.E.S agenda, for the benefit of the citizens.
He urged them to be committed and to understand that they were in the public service to serve the citizens, hence, the need for better results.
The governor told the Permanent Secretaries to engage with, as well as treat their subordinate well, and turn the public service to an enviable one.
“Being Permanent Secretary is an enviable position that comes with a lot of responsibilities, because it also has a lot of expectations from the leadership and the people.
“We are all in public service, what is driving us as government is that we have promised our citizens. We are in the service to serve the citizenship.
“The citizens are more charged, they are more engaging, they are more daring, there are more questions they are asking of us.
“The citizens are not asking for things that are too difficult, they just want us to listen to them more, they just want us to address them on the services for which they are paying, they just want us to do it quicker, faster and better.
“Let us in each of our ministries attend to the demands of the citizens. See yourself as part of that bigger team, ensuring you can deliver a Greater Lagos that we promised our citizens,” he said.
The governor enjoined the Permanent Secretaries to create effective and efficient working environment, so that they could deliver their responsibilities optimally.
In his address, the Head of Service (HoS), Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola, said that the retreat was a deviation from previous induction programmes held for newly appointed Permanent Secretaries.
He said that it would serve to close the competency gaps observed during the selection process.
Muri-Okunola said that the retreat would equip onboarding appointees with the skills and competencies needed to succeed in the Office of the Permanent Secretary.
He said that it would provide an avenue for existing Permanent Secretaries to evaluate their current performances in their various MDAs with a view to bringing about improvement.
The Head of Service said it would also serve as a refresher programme for existing Permanent Secretaries in some areas.
“In general, this retreat is an intervention programme meant to expose the 21st Century Public Sector Executive Manager to new realities in managing and administering the modern Public Sector workplace and the new normal for effective service delivery, which is the essence of governance,” the HoS said.
The Tide source reports that the committee, reportedly backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike, is making moves to reclaim the Wadata Plaza headquarters months after it was sealed following a violent clash between rival factions of the party.
Senior officers at the FCT Police Command told our source that while they had not received an official briefing, police personnel would be stationed at the secretariat and other key locations to maintain peace.
The Acting National Secretary of the Mohammed-led committee, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, announced last week that the secretariat would reopen for official activities on Monday (today).
He dismissed claims that ongoing litigation would prevent the reopening, saying, “There are no legal barriers preventing the caretaker committee from resuming work at the party’s headquarters.”
However, the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) has fiercely rejected the reopening move, insisting that Sen. Anyanwu and his group remain expelled from the PDP and have no authority to act on its behalf.
Speaking with The Tide source, the committee’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, declared: “They are living in fool’s paradise. The worst form of deceit is self-deceit, where the person knows he is deceiving himself yet continues with gusto.
“Even INEC, which they claim has recognised them, has denied them. They are indulging in a roller coaster of self-deceit.”
Mr Ememobong further revealed that letters had been sent to both the Inspector-General of Police and the FCT Commissioner of Police, stressing that the matter was still in court and warning against any attempt to “resort to self-help.”
“The case pending before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik was instituted by the expelled members. They cannot resort to self-help until judgment is delivered,” he said.
He warned that reopening the secretariat would amount to contempt of court.
A senior officer at the FCT Police Command, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that officers would be deployed to the area to avert a repeat of the November 19 violence that led to the secretariat’s initial closure.
“The command would not stand by and allow a breakdown of peace and order by the party or anyone else. Definitely, the police will have to be on the ground,” he said.
Another officer added, “There will definitely be men present at the secretariat, but I can’t say the number of police officers that would be deployed.”
When contacted, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, said she had not been briefed on the planned reopening and declined to comment on whether officers would be deployed.
Asked to confirm whether the secretariat was initially sealed by police, she responded, “Yes,” but refused to say more about the current deployment plans.
The Kano State House of Assembly has debunked the purported impeachment plan against the Deputy Governor, Aminu Gwarzo.
The Tide source recalls that the Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Waiya, recently sparked controversy during an interview session with a local radio station.
Mr Waiya called on the deputy governor to resign for failing to follow his principal, Gov. Abba Yusuf, in defecting from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
However, the spokesperson to the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Kamaluddeen Shawai, while addressing journalists in Kano on Saturday, described reports circulating in some media outlets about Mr Gwarzo’s impeachment as baseless and misleading, emphasising that no such plan is underway.
Mr Shawai further stated that the House remains focused on its legislative duties and oversight functions rather than engaging in speculative political manoeuvres.
The spokesperson urged members of the public and the media to verify information before sharing it, stressing the importance of accurate reporting in maintaining political stability in the state.
He said, “There is absolutely no motion or initiative within the House to remove the deputy governor.
“These reports are false and should be disregarded by the public. The deputy governor continues to serve in his capacity with full support from the House.
“Our priority is good governance and serving the people of Kano, not circulating rumours.”
She made the declaration during an interview with Nigerian football legend, Mr Segun Odegbami, during a live radio interview on Saturday.
Prof. Obasanjo, who is also former commissioner in the state, ruled out a return to the Senate, stating that her focus was firmly on the governorship race.
“So, moving ahead, I’m not going to be Commissioner. Like I said, I’m not even going back to the same party because I think that’s old and I don’t see the use of it. And I’m not going to go back to the Senate,” she said.
“Like the Americans would say, there’s no need. And this is what I told my associates, when this all started. I said, the only thing I’ll come back to do is the governorship.
“And we have started that journey. We are going to see it through. And so that’s the journey I’m on. And we are very serious about it. I mean we are very dedicated to it.”
The politician also confirmed that she recently joined the APC, explaining that her return to active politics followed persistent calls from supporters.
“Like I told you, a group of people who I did not bring together, have been working, I think, for two years now. And then they started talking to me about a year ago, saying, ‘Look, we think you are the best candidate. We want you back,’” she added.
Her declaration sets the stage for what may become a keenly contested governorship race in Ogun State ahead of the 2027 elections.
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