Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji on Monday told his commissioners and special advisers to justify their presence in the government through excellent discharge of duties in their respective MDAs.
He said their continued stay in office would be guaranteed by demonstrated creative ability, ingenuity, innovative capability and impressive performance. He charged them to see their appointment as a call to service and not an avenue for self-aggrandizement.
Governor Oyebanji, stated this at the opening session of a three-day retreat for commissioners, Special Advisers, permanent secretaries, General Managers and Executive Secretaries held at the Adetiloye Hall, Trade Fair Complex in Ado-Ekiti. The retreat which started on Monday will end on Saturday.
The Governor stressed the need for political appointees and accounting officers to work together to realize aspiration of taking Ekiti to the next level of prosperity.
He further charged them to be proactive, innovative and creative in the business of government in order to achieve the desired results of ensuring growth and development of the state.
The Governor said the retreat with the theme, “Shared prosperity: From Promise to Reality” , was very timely and apt at the moment when government is working towards actualising the state’s developmental plan. He called on all heads of MDAs to buy into the development agenda of the administration through the realization of its six pillars.
Governor Oyebanji added that the new commissioners would also be expected to commit themselves to performance bond as a way of ensuring their continued membership of the executive council.
He charged them to hit the ground running as soon as the retreat is over and not engage in frivolous celebration or seeking media bliss. Instead, he urged to demonstrate sense of decency, moderation and high sense of responsibility.
The Governor expressed his appreciation to the first set of executive council members for the solid foundation they have laid in the last nine months, stressing that their perseverance, support and understanding had helped stabilize the government and established a pathway for the new ones to ensure continuity of good governance.
“Let me add that after this retreat, you will be requested as you settle down to submit your work plan and to commit yourselves to a performance bond. Your ability on the job, creative ingenuity, innovative capability and impressive result will be the major determinant of your continued membership of the state executive council. You will always be called upon to submit yourself from time to time for performance evaluation.
“I therefore urge you to hit the ground running, unleash your creative energy and approach every task with every sense of urgency.
“As you all know, we campaigned on a six-point agenda which has now crystallised to the six pillars of our administration, for us to have clear ideas of our development objectives, strategies, performance and performance evaluation.
“Let me throw this challenge to you as we go ahead in this journey, what can you do to make this administration outstanding. What gaps can you fill to make a difference and what fresh ideas can you bring to the table for the realization of our collective goals. This will make us have collective ideas on our vision and objectives, create ideas and strategies and generate the necessary capabilities to realize them.
“Besides the broader issue of vision, programmes and policies, the course work of this workshop, I’m sure will include the grandeur and tribal aspects of works and public life. You will be enlightened about reporting challenges, public service idiosyncrasies, rules and procedures, enabling laws, peer reviews, budgeting finesse, theme work, corporate governance ethics, development partnerships, public finance and accountability among other aspects that can enhance our knowledge of the totality of the work environment. The Governor stated.
In his opening remarks, the Lead Facilitator, Dr Otive Igbuzo highlighted the objectives and expectations to include effective implementation of government policies and programmes as all MDAs would be expected to develop a work plan towards achieving the six pillars of the administration.
Also present at the retreat were the Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye; Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye; Secretary to the State Government, Dr Habibat Adubiaro; Head of Service, Barr. Bamidele Agbede and other top government officials.
