Date: 2022-04-19

Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq on Tuesday inaugurated seven new Permanent Secretaries to fill some vacant positions in the leadership of the state bureaucracy, urging them to be good team players and to join the rebuilding efforts of the administration.

The new Permanent Secretaries are: Ibrahim Mohammed (Establishment); Yahya Mohammed (Water Resources); Sidikat Alaya (Tertiary Education); Iyabo Dupe Adekeye (Environment); Umar Yakubu Jaja (Planning); Salman Suleiman (Service Welfare); Rebecca Bake (Social Development).

The appointments have triggered a tweak in postings, with Okanlawon Musa of the Water Resources moving to Special Duties and Adenike Ibrahim switching from Social Development/Women Affairs to Solid Minerals.

The Governor meanwhile has also approved the appointment of Mrs Samuel Elizabeth Keatswa as a new permanent secretary. She will be sworn in at a later date.

The governor charged the new Permanent Secretaries to work closely with their political heads and junior colleagues in the bureaucracy to deliver optimal service and good governance to the people of Kwara State.

"As the most senior bureaucrats in the civil service, history has placed on you a burden to raise generations of civil servants who would deliver promptly on their core mandates, respect rules and regulations, prioritise self-development, and avoid conducts that may stand in the way of neutrality and affect good judgment," he added.

"I congratulate all of you the new permanent secretaries for this feat. The position of Permanent Secretary is the highest anyone can attain as a civil servant. I, therefore, join your family and well-wishers to thank the Almighty God for bringing you this far.

"You are coming on board at a crucial time in the life of our state. Kwara state is undergoing a rebuilding process. This requires prudence, creativity, discipline, teamwork, and sacrifice.

"Our job as an administration has been made tougher by low revenue and higher wage bills. This calls for prioritisation of the most relevant needs of the people.”

"Kwara State Head of Service Mrs. Suzan Oluwole Modupe, for her part, charged the new permanent secretaries to hit the ground running and to justify the confidence reposed in them.

"Having announced your portfolios to you, I expect that you take over the job immediately. You take over in the sense that you should be in charge administratively. We expect that you move as fast as you can and do things properly," she said.

Yahaya Muhammad, on behalf of his colleagues, thanked the Governor for appointing them to serve in that capacity and pledged to offer their best to implement the policies and programmes of the government for the public good.