Gov Kayode Fayemi
The Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, in line with the resolve of his administration to have an effective and result-driven civil service, has approved various training programmes for nine permanent secretaries at the Royal Institute of Public Administration in the United Kingdom.
He made this disclosure in Ado Ekiti at the swearing in of two newly appointed Permanent Secretaries, saying his administration would continue to avail workers enough capacity development opportunities in order to meet immediate gaps as well as assist the workforce in the acquisition of up-to-date knowledge in their various fields.
The two appointees are Tunde Alokan, who, until his appointment, was the Executive Secretary of the State Independent Electoral Commission, and Oluyemisi Owolabi, who was the former acting Accountant-General of the state between January 2011 and September 2011.
Governor Fayemi disclosed that the plan to establish a first class training institution in partnership with the Ekiti State University has reached an advanced stage as the university’s Council has acceded to the establishment of the Institute of Policy and Governance, adding that the institute will be an avenue to train civil servants so that they could function at full capacity to drive government’s desire in order to deliver good quality services to the citizenry.
On the appointment of the two new Permanent Secretaries, the governor said the decision was sequel to the vacancies created by the retirement of a Permanent Secretary and the need to fortify the Deputy Governor’s office, whose role has become more critical as a result of its oversight functions.
Fayemi announced that the new Deputy Governor, Prof. Modupe Adelabu, in addition to her regular assignments as Deputy Governor, would remain as the Chairperson of the State Universal Basic Education Board and exercise oversight duties over the Ministries of Education, Science and Technology as well as Local Government Affairs.
The decision to post a Permanent Secretary to the Deputy Governor’s office, he said, is to enhance its operational efficiency as well as promote transparency and accountability, to which his administration is committed.
Speaking on the competence of the new appointees, Governor Fayemi said the duo performed creditably well in the last assessment for appointments but were placed on the waiting list on account of limited establishment vacancies.
The governor, who assured the citizens that the state would not return to the days when appointments of Permanent Secretaries were based on patronage rather than ability and competence, urged the new appointees to put their competencies to the use of the service of the state by showing absolute commitment to duty.
On economic development at the grassroots, Fayemi said local government chairmen have been encouraged to set up committees to assess sites for the construction of modern markets to expand the frontiers of commerce in the state and complement the relocation of traders from major roads.
He added that the implementation of the second phase of the township road development programme was being pursued with vigour, even as he said that a new Ekiti State was being unveiled as all institutions are now engaged in healthy and coordinated competition to make contributions in order to ensure that the state has a future that all and sundry will be proud of.
In his remarks, one of the two Permanent Secretaries, Tunde Alokan, thanked the state government for the opportunity given them to serve and assured Fayemi that they would live up to expectation
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