2nd January, 2013
The Lagos State Government has charged civil servants in the state to rededicate themselves to serve the people of the state this New Year.
Head of Service, HOS, Adesegun Ogunlewe spoke on Wednesday at the 2013 First Day in Office Prayer Session held at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.
The HOS commended the workers for their dedication, diligence and selflessness last year, saying that government demands more from them this year.
“I further enjoin you to renew and redouble your efforts in the onerous task of serving God and humanity from our divergent schedules, which are ultimately intended to improve the quality of life of the populace.
“I want to remind all of us that effective and efficient service delivery in the public service can only be guaranteed and sustained through appraisals and reviews of the ways and means of doing government business,” he said.
According to him, “our past experiences can be better deployed when we appreciate that there is always room for improvement. Therefore, as public officers, we need to be better informed, especially about the series of reforms being instituted by government.
“We are in a dynamic world, where relevance is assured through ability to keep oneself abreast with the developments as occasioned by change.
“Let us, in the usual tradition of the ideal public service, be at our different desks, punctually and ensure that we make judicious use of time and resources to doing the work for which we earn our monthly salaries and allowances.”
The HOS stated that government expects better performance from the workers this year, saying “we need to do more, we are not yet there. Government will provide the necessary wherewithal to the workers to excel.”
Earlier, loud praises and worship were heard at the auditorium as thousands of civil servants, both Muslims and Christians, danced and offered praises to God for making them see the New Year.
Prayers were offered by both Muslim and Christian clerics for a better year.
Civil servants resumed for work today after the New Year celebrations. Many of them arrived late for work but later came during the day. In several ministries, workers were seen exchanging pleasantries, wishing one another a happy new year.
A larger number of them, however, did not report for work. Some offices were shut.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga