Sanwo-Olu urges government parastatals on performance

By FLORENCE ONUEGBU

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos has urged heads of parastatals and government-owned companies on quality performance.

Sanwo-Olu gave the advice during the one-day meeting with the Chief Executive Officers of Parastatals at the Lagos House, Ikeja on Tuesday.

He said that all the heads of parastatals should work together as a team to achieve quality performance and make Lagos better than the way they met it.

The governor implored them to work as a team to deliver good governance and dividends of democracy to the citizens of the state, who they were appointed to serve in different capacities as heads of government agencies.

Sanwo-Olu who noted that they had crucial roles to play in the Lagos project urged them not to rest on their oars until the greater Lagos was achieved.

“You must work as a team because you all have a role to play in good governance in Lagos State. The citizens are looking at us. There is a trophy to be earned. There is a medal to take away.

“There are people that truly believe that we can make their lives a lot better. Let us make Lagos better than how we met it.

“We must go out to do it and not disappoint them. If we work together, there is nothing we cannot achieve as a state.

“You must work as a team because you all have a role to play in good governance in Lagos State. There is no one who is irreplaceable. You should always do a self appraisal of yourself,” he said.

The Deputy Gov. Obafemi Hamzat, said that the vision of the government was to make Lagos Africa’s model mega city, a global economy and a financial hub that was safe and secure.

Hamzat, therefore, advised heads of parastatals to relate with one another to succeed, adding that they should all scale up activities in their respective agencies by springing up to their responsibilities.

In a presentation, Dr Mumini Alao, Publisher of Complete Football and Complete Sports, who spoke on Private Sector Management Strategies for government parastatals, likened government parastatals to a football team.

Alao said that the parastatals were part of the team where each one had a role to play in delivering good governance and the dividends of democracy to the people.

He noted that parastatals should set a benchmark for themselves among their contemporaries in other regions of the world, in terms of service delivery and methodology.

The guest speaker encouraged the state government to create more avenues to improve sports activities in the state by establishing the Lagos Sports Special School and the Lagos State Sports Hall of Fame.

Alao said that the Lagos Sports Special School would help in producing more talents in the sports industry while the Lagos Hall of Fame would encourage younger generations to go into sports.

“This is owing largely to the state government recognition of those who has made positive impact through sports in Lagos,” he said.

In his welcome address, the Special Adviser, Parastatals Monitoring Office, Mr Afolabi Ayantayo, said that the office was to promote good governance.

Ayantayo, therefore, urged heads of the parastatals to work toward a better Lagos in line with the T.H.E.M.E.S developmental agenda of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration.

He added that the plan was to set-up a library where activities of all parastatals and agencies of government would be well documented for all to see. (NAN)