Francesca Odimgbe
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has sworn in a total of 111 Permanent Secretaries since the inception of his administration in 2019 to strengthen the State Public Service.
This was disclosed on Thursday by the Lagos State Head of Service, Mr. Bode Agoro, during the swearing in of eight Permanent Secretaries at Lagos House, Ikeja.
The new appointees are Mr. Olanrewaju Bajulaye (Ministry of Arts, Tourism and Culture); Dr (Mrs) Abiola Idowu (Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation, HEFAMAA); Mrs Aderinsola Olanrewaju (Citizens Mediation Bureau); Mr. Tajudeen Mahmud (Ministry of Finance); Mr. Wasiu Agbabiaka (Civil Service Commission); and Mr. Adebayo Olayinka (Ministry of Wealth Creation).
Arch. Gbolahan Oki will resume as Permanent Secretary, Urban Development, Ministry of Physical Planning, effective from May 19, while Mrs Ajibike Onigbanjo will resume as Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, after the retirement of the current Permanent Secretary in the Ministry.
Speaking during the swearing-in ceremony, Governor Sanwo-Olu urged the Permanent Secretaries to maintain the highest standard of professionalism, be accountable, exhibit unwavering commitment to good governance and ensure excellent service delivery to residents of the state in line with the THEMES+ developmental agenda of his administration.
Governor Sanwo-Olu said his administration will continue to support them in every way possible to overcome challenges and seize opportunities to make Lagos a model state for governance and development.
He said: “These appointments are vital for ensuring the efficiency and continuity of our civil service while also reflecting our ongoing commitment to fostering excellence and maintaining high standards within the public sector.
“As you assume these responsibilities, I urge you to embrace our administration’s development agenda with renewed vigour, as it continues to serve as our guiding blueprint for delivering sustainable development and prosperity to every Lagosian.
“With your new status comes higher expectations. You are now stewards of public trust and must lead by example. I expect nothing less than excellent and result-oriented leadership from each of you. Your work must speak for itself—through impactful policies, efficient service delivery, and measurable outcomes that improve the lives of our people.
“You must also demonstrate loyalty—not to individuals but to the vision and mission of this administration. Uphold integrity in all your dealings and foster a culture of accountability within your respective ministries and departments.”
The Head of Service, Mr. Olabode Agoro, said the appointment of the new eight Permanent Secretaries was borne out of the need to revitalise the State’s policy implementation apparatus in a bid to always improve on effective and efficient service delivery.
He said: “As we all know, since the assumption of office, Mr. Governor has always demonstrated commitment to excellence, merit, fairness and transparency in handling issues relating to appointments into the position of Permanent Secretaries in the State Public Service.
“This is evident in the Screening Exercise organised biennially for substantive Directors on GL.17 who are desirous and eligible for appointment into the position of Permanent Secretaries. This was put in place to drastically minimise the incidence of lobbying for appointment into such exalted position.”
Agoro admonished the newly appointed Permanent Secretaries to maintain good standing with the Political Head and all the staff of the respective MDAs of their deployment for speedy attainment of their given mandate. He also urged them to endeavour to hit the ground running and validate Mr. Governor’s trust and confidence in them.
Speaking on behalf of the newly appointed Permanent Secretaries, Mrs Aderinsola Olanrewaju, while giving a Vote of Assurance, said they will do their best in the realisation of the administration’s THEMES+ developmental agenda toward moving Lagos State forward.
She also appreciated Governor Sanwo-Olu for finding them worthy to serve in the best Public Service in Nigeria.