Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, will on Tuesday, October 6, meet with Lagosians at the maiden edition of his quarterly Town Hall Meeting.
The meeting is in fulfilment of his campaign promise to duly engage the citizenry and chart a path where regular interactions will take place to inform the people about plans, policies and programmes of the present administration as well as fulfil his pledge of participatory governance.
In a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Folarin Adeyemi, the Town Hall Meeting which is slated for Abesan Mini Stadium, Abesan Housing Estate, Ipaja by 11am is designed to enable people rub minds with the Governor on salient issues germane to the progress of the state, while proffering solutions to them.
Mr Adeyemi said the importance attached to the forum is borne out of the fact that it would allow for divergent opinions and views from various sources; adding that the desire to maximise the diverse potentials in the state informed the need to embrace this generally acceptable window of interaction from all stakeholders in the state.
Adeyemi also noted that people, being the bedrock of any society, must be actively involved in governance, while emphasising that Ambode’s administration is a people-oriented government.
He implored all stakeholders and good people of Lagos State to turn out en masse at the maiden town hall meeting which will provide a veritable avenue for them to interact with Governor Ambode.
Meanwhile, Ambode on Monday restated his commitment to ensure that the state civil service remains one of the best to reckon with in the country.
He made the statement while swearing-in Mrs. Lola Are-Adegbite as the new Tutor General/ Permanent Secretary of Education District Four at a ceremony held at the Lagos House, Ikeja.
Stating that the smooth running of governance lies with the civil service, he said permanent secretaries in the state have adequately carried on even in the absence of the State Executive Council.
“Like I have always said, the bulwark of success is really in the civil service. What we have done in the last four months is to set up the institutional framework that will drive the business of government.
“The permanent secretaries have proven in the last four months that even without a cabinet, the business of government can actually be done and this is worthy of commendation,” he said.
Ambode also reiterated his commitment to ensure that merit and professionalism will be the major consideration in making appointments, saying Mrs. Are-Adegbite’s engagement was based on her antecedents over the years.
“I am happy that you are joining a winning team. I am also happy that at least prior to this ceremony, you have proven yourself already in the last four weeks, so we are glad that we did not make a mistake. We know strongly that whatsoever it is that you are going to do in the next few years, it is going to contribute to the development of Lagos State,” he said.
Earlier, Permanent Secretary in the Public Service Office, Mr. Adesina Odeyemi, said the swearing in of Mrs. Are-Adegbite was in line with Section 208 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, following the retirement of Mrs. Soname Aderinsola as Tutor General/ Permanent Secretary of Education District IV, last month.
Born July 1, 1958, Mrs. Are-Adegbite holds a B.sc in Biology from Texas-Southern University, Houston Texas, Post Graduate Diploma in Education and a Masters Degree in Education both from the University of Lagos, Akoka.
