23rd May, 2018
Lagos State Head of Service, HOS, Mrs. Folashade Adesoye has described a retired Permanent Secretary from the Lagos State Public Service, Dr. Olajide Bashorun as an administrator whose contributions while in active service has assisted in impacting positively on major policy decisions of government, saying that the retiree would be greatly missed by the government, especially the body of permanent secretaries.
The HOS, who made this known during the Last Day in Office celebration for Dr. Bashorun at Alausa, Ikeja recently, said that the retiree had maintained an excellent working relationship throughout his civil service career.
Adesoye extolled the wealth of experience of the retiree cutting across agriculture, overseas investment, wealth creation, among others and expressed the hope that the state government would not cease to tap from his expertise now that he has become an automatic member of the Association of Lagos State Retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries (ALARHOSPS) established by the State Government to serve as a think-tank and an advisory body to Government on its programmes, plans and policies.
She added; “Dr. Bashorun is a highly disciplined civil servant and a professional per excellence. He has demonstrated a high sense of commitment, loyalty, dedication and uncommon courage to confront challenges particularly during his tenure as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Office of Overseas Affairs and Investment (Lagos Global) and Ministry of Wealth Creation.”
Many top government functionaries, including serving and past members of the state executive council, body of permanent secretaries and several other dignitaries from both the public and private sectors were at the event to celebrate the fulfilled public service career of Dr. Bashorun who retired as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment having attained the statutory retirement age of sixty years.
From the array of tributes and encomiums poured on the retiree, the former Commissioner for Agriculture and now Commissioner for Housing in Lagos State, Prince Gbolahan Lawal extolled his punctuality to work always and his unrivaled work ethics.
“He is known for his punctuality, at no time during the six years that we worked together, did he get to the office later than 8. 00 a.m. He is intellectually competent. A multi-linguist, he speaks Polish, Russian, Yoruba and English fluently,” he said.
He added that the good working relationship that existed between him as the then Commissioner for Agriculture when the retiree served as the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry changed the perception of Lagosians, especially the youths who were able to now see the sector as a rewarding and attractive one.
“Our team work birthed innovation programmes and projects some of which include: the High-Quality cassava flour factory and Automated Feed Mill, Araga, Epe, the first of its kind Pig Breeding Centre Gberigbe, Two Farm services in Oko-Oba and Badagry, the Imota Rice Mill and the Chicken Processing Centre at the Poultry Estate, Erikodo, the Refrigerated Meant Vans and the Eko LIVE Animal vehicles for the use of Lagos butchers and cattle dealers, Eko Farmers Mart, among others.” Lawal recalled.
Also, the former Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, now Commissioner for The Environment, Mr. Babtunde Durosinmi-Etti said “It was a privilege working with Bashorun to nurture the new Ministry (Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment). Memories of your vital insights, astuteness and commitment of excellence, saw the success of many of the initiatives embarked upon. Without question, the Lagos State Government has benefitted from your dedication to service.”
The new Commissioner for the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment, Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf in her goodwill message at the event, described the retired Permanent Secretary as administrator whose footprint in the State public service remains indelible considering the numbers of innovations that he had initiated into the public service.
Some other veritable innovations introduced by the retired permanent secretary to the development of agriculture in the state include the development of the first computerized ‘Farmers Register’ in the State, development of blue print for Igboye Farm Settlement , facilitated the introduction of pensions trust fund for Directly Recruited Staff of an Agency under Ministry of Agriculture, establishment of Lagos State Cooperative College as well as the Farm Settlement Centre both in Agege, among several others.
Dr. Bashorun, in the course of his career, contributed in so many ways to the development of Lagos State economy through his invaluable contributions to the growth of the state’s agricultural sector, Ease of Doing Business, Youth Empowerment/Employability and Entrepreneurial Skills Development cutting across the formal and informal sectors.
Coincidentally, the retiree was the only Permanent Secretary that was privileged to have served as the Permanent Secretary of both the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment and Office of Overseas Affairs and Investment created by the present administration under the leadership of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.
Bashorun, who transferred his service to Lagos State in 1995 reached the zenith of his career in the civil service when he was appointed Permanent Secretary in 2010 and served in different Ministries until his retirement as the longest serving Permanent Secretary.