Lagos at 50: Ambode showers praises on ALARHOSPS

Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode
Exec. Gov. Lagos State

In the mood of the celebration of Lagos at 50, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State at a two-day summit organized by The Association of Lagos State Retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries in Lagos earlier today urged retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries to add value to governance and to uphold the excellence the state was known for.
The summit was themed “Lagos at 50: 5 Decades of Excellence”.

Ambode, who described the civil service as the engine room of government, said while most civil servants were shielded from the public eye, they work tirelessly to formulate and implement policies which drive the government.

“There is no way this evolution, steady growth and success of Lagos State can be documented without mentioning the immense contribution of the state’s public service.

“I maintain that the civil service is the engine room of the government,” Ambode said.

He said that the state’s Public Service had the reputation of being the most progressive Public Service in Nigeria.

“This could not have been made possible without the solid foundation built by successive Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries, represented by the distinguished personalities seated here today.

“My expectation and conviction in your capacity to continue to add value to governance, even in retirement, is informed by the quality of the recommendations that have originated from your past summits,” he noted.

“You have been part and parcel of our success story,” he said.

The governor said that the theme of the summit was apt, as it was indicative of their acknowledgement of the success the state had recorded so far.

“Lagos at 50 is a celebration of past achievements and present successes.

“It is also about building the Lagos of the future on the foundation laid by our hardworking and selfless serving public servants,” he said.

Earlier, the Acting Head of Service, Mrs Folasade Adesoye, said the contributions of the association had indeed helped to reposition the state’s public service.

ALARHOSPS President, Alhaji Kayode Anjorin, said Lagos at 50 was about celebrating the creativity, challenges and achievements of the founding fathers, players and men and women (dead and alive), whose invaluable contributions had made Lagos the Centre of Excellence.