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March
26, 2013
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde
Fashola (SAN), Monday presided over the swearing-in of two new Permanent
Secretaries in the State’s Civil Service urging public officers to adhere
strictly to the oaths of office they took on their inauguration.
Governor Fashola, who spoke after presiding over the swearing-in ceremony of Mrs. Helen Morenike Deile as Auditor-General and Permanent Secretary and Mr. Hakeem Adeniyi Ogunbambi as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment at the Chambers of the State Executive Council, said the oaths were very important commitments by the officers to the people on behalf of whom they exercise authority.
According to the Governor, the Oath of Allegiance which requires the officer “to serve without fear or discrimination” , contains a commitment by the officer to ensure that he discharges his duties dispassionately and without any other consideration than the public good.
He told the new officers, “The Oath of Allegiance contains commitments to serve without fear or discrimination. We expect you to keep every word of that oath, to serve without fear or discrimination because you exercise a public trust”.
The Governor said the Oath of Secrecy was even more significant in that it concerns matters which are supposed to be confidential and not for public consumption adding, however, that the secrecy is subject to the rights and freedom of citizens to know.
“As for the Oath of Secrecy, let me remind you very clearly of the commitment in it, keeping confidential matter confidential, subject of course to the rights and freedom of citizens to know. That is why it is subject to considerations of taking appropriate approvals before disclosures are made”, the Governor further explained.
He added, “The decisions that we take here involves a lot of considerations, it involves people speaking honestly, speaking openly, disagreeing if necessary, but whatever decisions we ultimately make, it is not for the public to know who decided against it or who voted for it. It becomes a decision of Government”.
“When we communicate decisions back to members of the public, it is not nice and it is not appropriate to begin to share with them who voted for what, who supported what, who disagreed with what. The tendency is that in future, it limits the willingness to speak with candour and when information and advice are not given with candour, sometimes we never get the full information”, the Governor said.
Emphasizing on the need to adhere to the two Oaths, Governor Fashola declared, “I urge you and all those who have held these offices before you and through whom you will be working, to bear this thing in mind as you discharge your duties of service to our State and our country”.
Governor Fashola thanked members of the families of the newly promoted public officers pointing out that it was more appropriate to thank rather than congratulate them “because your spouses signed up for additional work and longer hours”, adding, “I can only thank you for being their pillars of support thus far”.
“We will need more of their time, we will need more of them and we will need more of their energies. I can only appeal to you to be a soothing balm of comfort and sustenance whenever they get home”, the Governor further enjoined.
Earlier before the swearing-in ceremony, Head of Service, Prince Adesegun Ogunlewe, had introduced and read the citations of the two newly promoted officers who later pledged to abide by the oaths they had taken.
Also present at the event were the Deputy Governor, Hon. (Mrs.) Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire and other members of the State Executive Council, Director, Legislative Drafting in the Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Tola Akinsanya, and members of the families of the two newly promoted public officers.
[LASG]
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