Th e Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has urged newly elected Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of the 20 local government areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas to be ambassadors of an all-inclusive government being championed and demonstrated at the state level.
He said that the newly elected political heads in all the 57 local councils in Lagos must identify with the culture of good governance already exemplifi ed by his administration where adequate attention is being paid to the needs of people at the grassroots. Ambode gave the charge on Monday at A Two-Day induction programme for the newly elected Chairmen, Vice Chairmen, Heads of Administration and Heads of Finance and Accounts departments of the 57 council areas. Th e governor, represented by the Commissioner for Local Government and Community Aff airs, Mr. Muslim Folami, at the event, noted that the local government level is not only the closest government to the people but possesses the capacity to be more impactful in fulfi lling the wishes and aspirations of the people at the grassroots.
He disclosed that one of the present administration’s policy thrust for local government administration is to create a new service orientation hinged on collaboration and cooperation of the political offi ce holders and career offi cers, including Headsof Administration, Finance & Accounts, such that the overall objective of delivering good governance to the people at the grassroots would not be hampered. “I charge you all to make yourselves available to your people in all the council areas and always remember the State Government’s policy thrust of giving governance back to the people at the grassroots. Th e imperative of local councils being the third tier of government confers on you the greater responsibility of good governance”, Ambode stated. Th e governor underscored the need to continuously build the capacity of political offi ce holders and equip public managers with required skills to cope with the imperatives of modern governance predicated on transparency, accountability, and probity in public offi ces in line with the demands of contemporary public management. On his part, the chairman, Local Government Service Commission, Alhaji Babatunde Rotinwa, advised the administrators to follow the structure of governance already established by the Ambode-led administration, stressing that the existing structure has been designed to impact the lives of residents of the State in a seamless manner
