Ambode urges retired HOS, Perm. Secs to add value to governance

Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Tuesday urged retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries to add value to governance, and to uphold the excellence the state was known for.

Ambode made the remark at a two-day summit of the Association of Lagos State Retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries (ALARHOSPS) in Lagos.

The theme of the summit is: “Lagos at 50: 5 Decades of Excellence”.

Ambode, who described the civil service as the engine room of government, said while most civil servants were shielded from the public eye, they work tirelessly to formulate and implement policies which drive the government.

“There is no way this evolution, steady growth and success of Lagos State can be documented without mentioning the immense contribution of the state’s public service.

“I maintain that the civil service is the engine room of the government,” Ambode said.

He said that the state’s Public Service had the reputation of being the most progressive Public Service in Nigeria.

“This could not have been made possible without the solid foundation built by successive Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries, represented by the distinguished personalities seated here today.

“My expectation and conviction in your capacity to continue to add value to governance, even in retirement, is informed by the quality of the recommendations that have originated from your past summits,” he said.

Ambode noted that their ideas and suggestions had been found to be very useful in government’s policy-articulation, design and implementation.

“You have been part and parcel of our success story,” he said.

The governor said that the theme of the summit was apt, as it was indicative of their acknowledgement of the success the state had recorded so far.

“Lagos at 50 is a celebration of past achievements and present successes.

“It is also about building the Lagos of the future on the foundation laid by our hardworking and selfless-serving public servants,” he said.

Earlier, the Acting Head of Service, Mrs Folasade Adesoye, said the contributions of the association had indeed helped to reposition the state’s public service.

ALARHOSPS President, Alhaji Kayode Anjorin, said Lagos at 50 was about celebrating the creativity, challenges and achievements of the founding fathers, players and men and women (dead and alive), whose invaluable contributions had made Lagos the Centre of Excellence.