News

Sanwo-Olu charges Perm Secs to give state their best

Published

3 months ago

February 29, 2024

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Wednesday, appointed five Directors in the State’s civil service to the position of Permanent Secretary, charging them to deploy their experience and knowledge to enhance service delivery to the residents.

The Governor said the appointment of the new Permanent Secretaries was based on their respective performances in the assessment process and their track records of delivery on tasks they were assigned.

Their elevation, Sanwo-Olu said, came with more tasks and responsibilities, especially in the period when citizens had high expectations of the Government to improve their lives and protect them from the effects of the current economic hardship.

The Governor charged the appointees to be mindful of the responsibilities placed on their shoulders, urging them to hit the ground running immediately.

Sanwo-Olu said, “Your appointment as Permanent Secretaries comes with substantial responsibility. As you celebrate, you must also bring to mind the solemn task placed upon your shoulders. The people of Lagos have placed a lot of trust in this administration, and they expected that we would deliver. The task ahead is not without challenges, especially in this period when the citizens’ attention is focused on all of us, with high expectations, to cushion the effect of the current economic hardship.

“The engine room for our Government’s noble vision is a robust civil service. Your dedication, knowledge and strategic vision are the bedrock on which our policies and programmes certainly lie on. It is believed that you are part of the team that will translate these tangible benefits to our citizens.

“Therefore, I urge you to rededicate yourselves and give your best at all times towards ensuring the diligent implementation of Government policies and programmes as they relate to the context of our development agenda.”

The Governor told the appointees to always work with integrity and transparency, while keeping in mind that their commitment would be instrumental to achieving the aspiration of Greater Lagos.

He encouraged them to justify the confidence reposed in them through the appointment, charging them to give their utmost best in the discharge of their duties.

“I urge you to embrace empathy and compassion as you carry out your duties. You must strive for excellence at all times and ensure that Lagosians get the best of your effort at all times,” Sanwo-Olu said.

Head of Service, Mr. Olabode Agoro, said the appointment of the new Permanent Secretaries indicated the Governor’s commitment to excellence, merit, fairness and transparency, noting that the appointees were selected from the pool of Directors who participated in the year 2022 Merit based Screening Exercise for appointment as Permanent Secretaries.

While congratulating the appointees, Agoro urged them to maintain good standing with the political heads and staff of their respective MDAs for speedy attainment of their given mandates.

The newly appointed Permanent Secretaries are Engr. Somide Lateef Ayodele (Office of Infrastructure), Engr. Adegbite Mahmood Olakunle (Office of Drainage Services), Mr. Emmanuel Fatai Audu (Ministry of Agriculture), Mrs. Oki Lyla Morenike (Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC) and Surv. Ayokunnu Adeshina Sikiru (Surveyor-General Office).

News

FAAN starts sales of E-Tags at airports

Published

3 hours ago

May 18, 2024

NewsDirect

The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) said it has started the sales of e-tags at airports.

FAAN confirmed this in a statement on Friday. “Following the presidential directive that all citizens are mandated to pay for e-tags at all the 24 federal airports across the country, we wish to inform the general public that the e-tags are available for sale from Friday, 17th May 2024 at the following locations,” it said.

“Lagos: Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos, Terminal 1, 5th Floor) Office of HOD Commercial. Contact: 08033713796 or 08023546030.

“Abuja: Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, HOD Commercial Office (General Aviation Terminal) Contact: 08034633527 or 08137561615.”

News

FG, Labour to reconvene next week over minimum wage negotiation

Published

4 hours ago

May 18, 2024

NewsDirect

The Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage will reconvene on Tuesday, May 23 to further negotiate a reasonable new minimum wage for workers, after the organised labour walked out of the negotiation on May 15.

An invitation letter sent to the labour leaders by the chairman of the committee, Bukar Goni, states that the other members of the committee have agreed to shift grounds from the N48,000 proposal which was made on Wednesday.

The letter appealed to the labour leaders to speak to their members and attend the reconvened meeting next Tuesday.

The organised labour comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have proposed a new minimum wage of N615,000, which is way higher than the N48,000 proposal by the government.

The organised private sector, on the other hand, proposed an initial offer of N54,000. After dumping the talks, the labour leaders addressed a press conference where they expressed their anger over the Federal Government’s offer.

They blamed the government and the private sector for the breakdown in negotiation.

The Federal Government had failed to present a nationally acceptable minimum wage to Nigerians before the May 1 Labour Day.

The situation has forced labour to be at loggerheads with the government. In the wake of the tussle, the NLC President Joe Ajaero insisted on the N615,000 minimum wage, arguing that the amount was arrived at after an analysis of the economic situation worsened by the hike in the cost of living and the needs of an average Nigerian family of six.

Ajaero and labour leaders have given the Federal Government a May 31 deadline to meet their demands.

On January 30, Vice President Kashim Shettima inaugurated the 37-member tripartite committee to come up with a new minimum wage.

With its membership cutting across federal, and state governments, the private sector, and organised labour, the panel is to recommend a new national minimum wage for the country.

During the committee’s inauguration, the Vice President urged the members to “speedily” arrive at a resolution and submit their reports early.

“This timely submission is crucial to ensure the emergence of a new minimum wage,” Shettima said.

The 37-man committee is chaired by the former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Goni Aji.

News

Tinubu appoints governing board members for 111 tertiary institutions

Published

6 hours ago

May 18, 2024

NewsDirect

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointments of at least 555 persons to serve as Pro-chancellors/Chairmen and members of Governing Boards of 111 federal universities, polytechnics and Colleges of Education.

This followed Tinubu’s assent to a list of nominees selected by the Ministry of Education.

It was signed by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack.

“The inauguration and retreat for the Governing Councils will take place on Thursday, May 30 and Friday, May 31, 2024, at the National Universities Commission, 26 Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja. Both events will commence at 9:00am daily,” said Walson-Jack.

When contacted for confirmation, the Presidency said the list emanated from the Ministry of Education.

“This is from the Federal Ministry of Education…they make the nominations and forward them to the President to sign. But they are at liberty to release it from their end,” the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, told our correspondent on Saturday.