Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, on Monday swore in five new members of the State Executive Council with a charge on them to hit the ground running and offer only the best of services to the people.
Speaking at a brief swearing-in ceremony held at the Lagos State Executive Council Chambers in Alausa, Ikeja, Governor Ambode said the new cabinet members were appointed based on their track record, expertise and experience, and as such they must immediately settle down in office and inject new ideas to reinvigorate and reenergize government machinery to the overall benefit of the people.
Addressing the appointees, Governor Ambode said their immediate mandate was to see to the completion of all on-going projects and activation of new ones to make life better and comfortable for the people.
“As you settle down to your new assignments, I demand nothing but the best from you. Your immediate task as you hit the ground running is to quickly bring yourself up to speed with the mandate of your MDA and key into the immediate priority for this year which is the completion of all on-going projects. This, however, does not preclude the initiation of new projects that are considered highly essential and critical to the general well-being of our people,” the Governor said.
Specifically, Governor Ambode said the appointees must be mindful of the fact that the greatest asset of his administration is the goodwill of the people which cuts across all segments of the society, saying that he remained committed to sustaining the goodwill by upholding the policy of inclusion and implementing programmes and projects which in turn would positively and directly impact on the livelihood of all residents.
The Governor said making Lagos work for all was a 24-hour job which required selfless service, hard work, dedication and an uncompromising focus on the improvement of lives of all residents, a development he said necessitated the vision of his administration from inception to build a clean, safe and prosperous State guided by the rule of law, as well as a globally competitive smart City.
According to him, “As simple as it sounds, this is a tough task but I am happy to state here that the job has been made uncomplicated because we have the best team working together to achieve this vision. Today, we are delighted to welcome on board the newly sworn-in members of the State Executive Council.
“You are joining a winning team of committed professionals and politicians who have been working round the clock for the past 32 months to make Lagos functional, efficient and a haven for business, tourism, entertainment and sports.”
He said the achievements so far recorded were massive but a lot still needed to be done to achieve the desired vision and moving the State forward on the path of sustainable growth, which was why the government was injecting new ideas with the appointments to reinvigorate government machinery.
Governor Ambode said as members of the Executive Council which is the highest policy making body of the State and also charged with the responsibility of implementing government programmes through the various MDAs, he expects the new appointees to bring their knowledge, expertise and experience to bear on the mandate of the Ministries to which they have been assigned and the overall vision of the present administration.
Besides, Governor Ambode commended former members of the State Executive Council for their dedicated service and contribution to the achievements so far recorded by this administration, just as he also appreciated the leadership and members of the House of Assembly for ensuring due diligence and speedy confirmation process for the new Cabinet members.
The newly appointed cabinet members are Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr. Hakeem Fahm; Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Ladi Lawanson; Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Segun Banjo; Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye; and Special Adviser on Communities and Communications, Mr. Hakeem Sulaiman.
Responding on behalf of the appointees, Oladunjoye thanked Governor Ambode for finding them worthy to be part of a robust administration which, according to her, had been implementing projects and policies in all sectors of the State, assuring that they would key into the vision and mission of government and offer nothing but the best to move Lagos forward.
