…denies feud with legislature
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Wednesday, swore in 37 commissioners and special advisers, charging them to work together to build on the successes his administration recorded in its first tenure.
The state executive council is a mixture of politicians and technocrats with 29 males and eight females, out of which 18 are returning members, while 19 are new ones. The 37 cabinet members comprised 23 commissioners and 14 special advisers.
Sanwo-Olu at the swearing-in, charged the cabinet members to give their best to surpass the expectations of Lagos residents.
He said the commissioners and special advisers were painstakingly chosen, adding that “They are, by any measure, some of our best brains, not just in Lagos State, but right around the country. These are men and women who can and will hold their own anywhere in the world. They are emblems of what Lagos State is all about – a Centre of Excellence. Lagosians should, therefore, rejoice in their selection and be expectant of quality service and performance in the months and years ahead.”
He added that “The task of this new cabinet is clear. It is to build on the successes of our administration’s first four years in office. It is to take our people closer to our dream of a Greater Lagos. The expectations of our people have never been higher than they are right now. Doing your best to meet them is therefore not an option. It is the least you will be expected to do. Lagos is the Centre of Excellence; your work must be excellent in every ramification.
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“Working together, carrying the people along, keeping your feet on the ground, and ensuring that every decision you take has the best interest of our people at the heart of it, are the surest ways to succeed. May God guide you in the effective discharge of your onerous responsibilities.”
On the controversy that trailed the screening and confirmation of the nominees by the Lagos State House of Assembly, the governor said there was no bickering between the executive and legislature.
He said: “I am not unaware of the feelings in some quarters that the initial rejection of some nominees by the Lagos State House of Assembly, necessitating the submission of a revised list of nominees, signified a call to arms between the executive and the legislature. I reject such feelings in totality. Were the executive designed to be omnipotent and omniscient, the very important oversight function of the legislature would be needless.
“Thankfully, our constitution recognises that our people will be best served with a system of checks and balances that is led by independent bodies in each arm of government. This system demands collaboration, and a willingness to give and take without rancour,” he said.
Gbenga Omotosho, the commissioner for information and strategy, on behalf of other cabinet members, thanked Sanwo-Olu for finding them worthy to serve the people of Lagos.
