The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Flood hits Yola North, 4 other Adamawa LGAs

    Devastating flood which followed a downpour Friday through Saturday has caused much havoc in the twin metropolitan Yola North and Yola South local government areas, nearby Girei LGA, as well as Ganye and Shelleng LGAs.

    The flood has thrown residents into activities to mitigate its effect and the state government in a flux, with the state-run emergency management agency opening a camp to accommodate particularly helpless displaced residents.

    Executive Secretary of the Adamawa State Emergency Management Agency (ADSEMA), Dr Muhammed Suleiman, who disclosed that the camp was opened in Yolde Pate, Yola South LGA where 219 people had so far been admitted, said, however, that no death had been recorded as a result of the flood.

    Speaking about the camp and indicating during a press interview Saturday afternoon how widespread the flood had been, the ADSEMA boss said, “Those that were displaced and cannot stay in their houses overnight, we have opened a camp for them. The government is feeding them and we have provided them with relief materials.

    Read Also: Flood damages roads, submerges houses in Jigawa

    “The areas affected by the flood are many. In Jimeta there are many places. So also in Yola town, and even this morning, I have received report from Shelleng where they said things were destroyed. Right now we are going with his Excellency the deputy governor to Girei local government where there was also flooding, and I have received a report of flooding from Ganye Local Government. So, it’s flooding all over.”

    The flood in the indicated LGAs has come exactly a week after two LGAs in the northern zone of the state were cut off because a bridge linking them to the rest of the state was washed off.

    The bridge in Dilchim, in Michika LGA, which had earlier been bombed by Boko Haram but around which a temporary passage was created, was further rendered unusable, making it impossible for the people of Michika and neighbouring Madagali to either leave their communities or get back if they were away before the flood.

    What has happened in the state capital since Friday evening is reminiscent of the Michika/Madagali experience, as many people who left home Friday morning were unable to return home as flood had taken over their streets by evening.

    Many Yola streets remained flooded as this report was being filed yesterday evening, with many residents, from whose houses the flood had receded, working to put their homes back in order.

    Communities worst affected by the flood in Yola North included Jambutu, Kofare, Bachure, Demsawo and Nasarawo.

    The Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC), which was directly affected by the flood, had to plead yesterday that electricity to those areas, which was cut off during the rainstorm, would not be restored until after some repair effort.

    The company said in a statement mailed to our correspondent by its Senior Corporate Communications Manager, Kingsley Nkemnemel, “This is to inform you that YEDC Jambutu injection substation is out of service due to heavy rainfall yesterday that caused flooding at the substation.”

  • Presidency explains Chief of Staff, SGF roles

    The Presidency on Saturday night explained and differentiated the roles of the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha,

    A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said that their roles have not changed from what they were doing under the first term of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    He stressed that Chief of Staff’s role is in line with the US model, which Nigeria is practising.

    According to him, the access between the President and the new ministers is open.

    He said “Recent media and social media reports on the responsibilities of the Chief of Staff to the President have suggested that the role has changed. This is not the case.

    Read Also: Buhari must avoid divided presidency in his second term —ACF scribe Sani

    “Today, under the Buhari II administration the role of Chief of Staff remains the same as it was under Buhari I.

    “It is worth stressing that the role and responsibilities of the Chief of Staff and the method of communication and arranging scheduling between Cabinet members and the President are, in Nigeria, based on the US model, where the same system operates – and has done for decades – in precisely the same way.

    “That role is to act as the head of the presidential administration at Aso Rock; to be an adviser to the President on any and all matters; to be the line manager for all staff at Aso Rock; and to manage appointments and scheduling for the President.

    “In the traditional presidential system, it is a primary function of a Chief of Staff, which may vary according to the needs and desires of each President, to supervise key State House Staff, control access to the office and the person of the President, manage communications and information flow and this includes that which binds the relationship with the two other arms of government.

    “During the President’s first term those were the responsibilities of the Chief of Staff, and they remain the same responsibilities today. There is no change.

    “When President Buhari explained to ministers that they would be expected to communicate with him and arrange scheduling to meet with him primarily via the Chief of Staff, he did so as many of the Buhari II Cabinet ministerial appointments are new appointments and cannot therefore be expected to know how matters of liaising with the President operate.

    “This is to stress that access to the President is open to ministers. It is not true that this is denied them in the Second Term.” he said.

    Shehu added “The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) on the other hand is responsible for ensuring the effective coordination and monitoring of the implementation of government policies and programmes. All cabinet matters must go through him.

    “Under this dispensation, a performance evaluation of ministers and Permanent Secretary will be maintained by the SGF. Two weeks after assuming office, they are expected to sign mandate acceptance documents.’

    He said that it was time to end the unnecessary controversy in other to allow the key appointees of the President carry out their jobs.

  • Concern over Supreme Court’s continued silence on Justice Ngwuta’s fate

    Concern is mounting over the continued silence of decision makers at the Supreme Court and the National Judicial Council (NJC) on the fate of a senior member of the apex court’s bench, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta.

    Justice Ngwuta’s current status has become a topic discussion in the nation’s judicial circle, particularly senior lawyers, who are worried by alleged delay in sorting out the matter.

    Justice Ngwuta, currently listed as the fourth most senior Justice of the Supreme Court (on the court’s website), has not sat in open court since November 4, 2016 following a directive by the NJC that judicial officers  being investigated for  corruption related allegations should cease to perform judicial functions until the conclusion of investigation.

    He was one of the two Justices of the Supreme Court , whose houses were raided, among other judges, by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) between 7 and 8, October, 2016. While his   colleague, Justice John Okoro resumed duties shortly after the raid, Ngwuta was charged to court.

    He was first arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja on corruption related charges and later, arraigned before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), over his alleged failure to declare some of his assets. Both charges were filed by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).

    On March 23, 2018, the Federal High Court upheld his challenge of the competence of the charge and discharged him.

    Justice John Tsoho, in a ruling, relied on the Court of Appeal decision in the appeal by Justice Hyeladzira Nganjiwa (of the Federal High Court) and held that it was wrong to subject Justice Ngwuta trial before his court, without first, subjecting him to the disciplinary procedure of the NJC.

    Read Also: BREAKING: Supreme Court strikes out Atiku, PDP’s appeal

    On May 15, 2018 the CCT also held in similar manner and struck out the charges against Justice Ngwuta.

    A member of the tribunal, Atedze William Agwaza said, in the ruling: “in resolving issues raised by parties in this application, it is hereby held that the defendant/applicant, though a public officer, is also a judicial officer, and subject first to the discipline and management of the NJC.

    “This is in line with Section 158(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). Paragraph 21 (b) of Part 1 of the 3rd Schedule of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and the decision of the Court of Appeal in the case of Nganjiwa V. FRN (supra), which forms a precedent binding on this tribunal.

    “Our hands are, therefore, tied in the light of the aforesaid decision. Based on the above, the application of the defendant/applicant is found merited, and hereby granted. The defendant is hereby discharged accordingly,” Agwaza said.

    Since the last decision by the CCT, Justice Ngwuta has not resumed normal judicial functions. He has not been sighted sitting as a member of any panel of the court.

    Enquiry at the Supreme Court revealed that although Justice Ngwuta goes  to work every day, he limits his activities to his office.

    He added: “You know the EFCC (economic and Financial Crimes Commission) wrote petitions against those judges it initially charged to court before the Court of Appeal judgement in the case of Justice Nganjiwa came.  Some of such petitions have been treated, the latest being that of Justice Ofili-Ajumogobia.

    “But, unlike the EFCC, the office of the AGF did not write petition against the judges it had charged to court. We do not know why. One of them is Justice Ngwuta. So, at the moment, and to my knowledge, there is no petition pending against him before the NJC.”

    The Nation learnt, at the office of the AGF, that the office decided against writing any petition against any of the judges it was prosecuting and has seen no reason to do that.

    Meanwhile, it was gathered on Friday that some  senior lawyers, who felt concerned that Justice Ngwuta’s issue has been left hanging, have decided to bring it to the attention of the new CJN, Justice Ibrahim Muhammad and to demand that the NJC put the issue to rest.

    A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who is part of the plan, told The Nation that “We hope to meet before the Supreme Court’s long vacation ends, to take a position on this and communicate our decision to the new CJN.

    “This issue has to be resolved. It is casting a wrong shadow on the Judiciary. His fate cannot be left to dangle. He should not be subjected to perpetual uncertainty. That is the point we hope to stress,” he said.

  • Nigeria, Germany to partner on mechanised farming

    Nigerian Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) and German Agribusiness Alliance (GAA), have agreed to work together to revamp agribusiness and help Nigerian farmers engage in mechanised farming.

    Speaking at the weekend at the end of the investment workshop between NIRSAL and German Agribusiness Alliance (GAA) for local farmers in Abuja, NIRSAL Managing Director, Mr Aliyu Abdulhameed, said “the relationship between NIRSAL and GAA is to bring equipment, technology and standard for Nigerian farmers.”

    Read Also: ‘Banditry killing farming, cattle breeding’

    Abdulhameed said Nigerian farmers need to be empowered in all ramifications, noting that “what NIRSAL is doing today is to ensure that all the risks in crop production have been eliminated or reduced to their minimum to ensure that farmers get good returns.” We need equipment capital, technology capital and the brain capital to be able to design and deliver projects and all these must be supported by government.”

    After the workshop, NIRSAL and GAA will sign a framework of understanding that will facilitate the broader agreement to be signed later. According to Abdulhameed, the partnership will see German equipment manufacturers bring samples to showcase for Nigerian farmers and demonstrate how to use them on their farms.

    The leader of German delegations, Frank Nordman, said the whole idea of the partnership is to assist Nigerian farmers to be able to produce enough food to feed the about 200 million local population as well as meeting European standard for food item export to Europe and other countries.

  • FG parastatal paid rent on own land for 50 years

    The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) Managing Director, Mr. Usman Gur Mohammed, has revealed that the company has stopped paying rent on its land at the National Control Center (NCC), Oshogbo in Osun State.

    He recalled that the government had paid rent on it for 50 years but at the point of planning to install a SCADA in the center, it realised that it was inappropriate to install it in a rented property.

    He spoke at the Market Operator’s Participants Key Stakeholders 2019 3rd Quarter Interactive Forum in Abuja.

    While deciding to relocate the center, the TCN was told that the property on which it has paid rent in error for 50 years belonged to the federal government.

    This has culminated in the stoppage of further payments of rent on the property.

    He did not however disclose whether the government has plans to recover the fund from the private individuals that fraudulently collected its rent for five decades.

    Read Also: How we’re eliminating transmission losses, by TCN chief

    Mohammed said “For your information, for several years we have been operating our National Control Centre, Osogbo, the land we use is a rented land. We had been paying rent on that land for over 50 years. I am happy to announce that that land belongs to us and we are not paying rent again.”

    He said that all the company’s contracts must now be completed within 18 to 24 months, stressing that “we don’t need politics. We need infrastructure.”

    He debunked the claim that the TCN was not considering local contractors in its award of contracts.

    The TCN boss noted that the management would not respect local content to reencounter what led to the “problem that caused us to have 800 containers stranded in the ports; we cannot repeat it.”

    Mohammed threatened that the company would charge any contractor that fails to complete his project in record time liquidated damage.

    Following the failure of Nigeria to install a SCADA after three attempts, the company has now accepted a zero knowledge of it and decided to sign a bond with 15 staff to undergo training on SCADA abroad no matter the cost. The staff, in line with the bond, must serve the company for five years, he said.

    The Market Operator of the TCN, Engr. Edmund Ejie, disclosed that the Federal Government has approved N600billion that would be injected into the nation’s electricity market.

    He said that the fund is ripe for disbursement any moment from now.

  • Abians express mixed feelings over ministerial positions

    Residents of Umuahia, the Abia State capital, and Aba, the commercial nerve of the state, have expressed mixed feelings over the ministerial positions assigned to the zone by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    While some of the residents who spoke to our reporter in Aba and Umuahia noted that it was the prerogative right of Buhari to choose his ministers, others lamented the portfolios assigned ministers from the southeast zone.

    Former Governor of Abia State and Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate, Dr Orji Kalu in an interview commended President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing people with intellectual capacity and political dexterity to drive the next level agenda.  Speaking with a cross-section of supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia North Senatorial District, the former governor urged Nigerians to sustain their support for President Muhammadu Buhari in his efforts to reposition the country.

    Read Also: Be relentless, Buhari tells ministers

    He called on the newly inaugurated Federal Executive Council (FEC) members, to emulate the President in discharging their national duties.

    Kalu said “the appointments made thus far by President Muhammadu Buhari are impressive.”

    But some residents of Umuahia, who gave their names as Wilfred Ojah, Ugwu Clement and Gregory Onwuka told The Nation that they were dissatisfied with the positions assigned to ministers from the Southeast.

    According to Onwuka, “all of us were all aware of the performance of the ministers while they were being screened. Why on earth would they ask the likes of Uche Ogah questions that borders on Agric, Petroleum, Investment etc., and later he was sent to Mines and Steel? How can they send Hon. Emeka Nwajiuba to Ministry of Education as Minister of State? How is he going to fare at the present ministry? I am sure that their appointments were not done in good fate.”

    According to Dr Charles Chinekezi, Chairman, Civil Liberties Organisation, Aba Unit “What the President has given the Southeasterners is not just. The President wasn’t fair enough to the Southeast,” he alleged.

  • Kano governorship tussle: I did not cancel disputed election results says INEC returning officer

    Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officer who superintend over Kano State Governorship Election, in Nassarwa Local Government, Professor Ibrahim Khaleel, has dismissed the allegations of issues of over voting and violence attributed to the cancellation of outcome of the elections in Gama Ward.

    The university don, who appeared before the State Election Petition Tribunal, on subpoena, said there were no formal reports of cases of violence and over voting during the governorship election held on March 9th in Gama Ward.

    According to him, the INEC Returning Officer assigned to Gama only failed to reconcile the results scored by the gubernatorial contestants, disclosing that twice, he gave injunction to the ward Returning Officer to reconcile the discrepancies evident in the ward results.

    Khaleel said “I did not receive a formal report about the violence in Gama; I did not cancel the results in Gama ward.”

    Read Also: Kano guber tussle: no case to answer – Ganduje

    Earlier, Khaleel told the judicial panel that “Hon Farouk Lawan and some others stood on me, which was intimidating, and the collation hall was crowded; some people came from behind me, I did not see their faces to know who they were, then pandemonium broke out.

    “I ran out of the building and took cover, later we relocated to the state collation centre for safety,” the court heard.

    He also said: “There were gunshots, there was chaos and the electoral documents were carted away by one Dr. Umar Tanko Yakasai, who was my former student, I know very well.”

    The presiding judge, Justice Halima Shamaki, ordered the matter adjourned to August 26th for continuation of hearing.

    Meanwhile, Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has described the suit filed by Abba Kabiru Yusuf of the PDP challenging his March 2019 victory as lacking in burden of proof.

    Ganduje said his PDP rivals have failed to establish their burden of proof before the tribunal.

    The counsel representing Ganduje, Ibrahim Mukthar, reacting to questions from judicial reporters at the Miller road court complex said the Ganduje camp is far from being under pressure to counter the allegations filed by the petitioners.

  • Joint account: Governors opt for legal battle with NFIU

    The 36 state governors are heading to the courts over the decision of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to strip them of their hold on the State Joint Accounts.

    The governors met in Abuja on Thursday and rejected a political solution to the disagreement with the NFIU over the Local Government statutory allocations from the Federation Account.

    They insisted that the NFIU Act 2018 lacks the power  to issue guidelines on local government finances, especially imposition of sanctions.

    It was learnt that the governors chose legal battle than political resolution in order to “lay the matter to rest once and for all.”

    They also argued that political option would amount to conferring legitimacy on “assumed powers by the NFIU which may set a bad precedent.”

    A governor, who spoke in confidence, said: “Initially, we thought of prevailing on the presidency to broker talks between the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) and the NFIU because we are also committed to probity and accountability.

    “When we met, all governors agreed that the NFIU guidelines are unconstitutional and we should not use political rapprochement to confer legitimacy on the assumed powers of the agency. We have realized that the issues at stake border on the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

    “All the governors have resolved that we should take the battle to the court for a clear cut decision which will guide the present generation of governors and their successors.

    “We want the court to interpret Section 7(6) (a) and (b) and Section 162(6), (7), and (8) of the Constitution.

    “If you look at Section 7(6) (a) and (b) of the Constitution, it gives the National Assembly and the State House of Assembly the powers to make provisions for statutory allocation of public revenue to the local councils in the Federation and within the State respectfully.

    Read Also: ‘Governors reluctant to implement Houses of Assembly financial autonomy’

    “Section 162 (6) makes provision for the creation of the State Joint Local Government Account (SJLGA) into which shall be paid all allocations to the LGAs of the State from the Federation Account and from the government of the state.

    “Section 162 (7) of the Constitution empowers the National Assembly to formulate the terms and manners in which funds from the SJLGA may be disbursed.

    “In Section 162(8), the 1999 Constitution mandates the State House of Assembly to prescribe the manner in which the amount standing to the credit of the local councils in the state shall be distributed.”

    “We see the whole matter as constitutional; we prefer to go to court instead of sleeping over our rights.”

    Another governor said: “Our position is that the guidelines are illegal, unconstitutional and cannot be binding on state governors.

    “Some of us tried as much as possible to prevail on the presidency to broker peace between the Governors’ Forum and the NFIU but the latter was not forthcoming.

    “At our meeting, we realized that we have a strong case. We will fight to the end. The beauty of democracy is that the judiciary is the arbiter.

    “If we have an under-the-table deal with the NFIU, it will backfire later. We won’t follow this path.

    “This is not the first time we are going to court. During the administration of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Excess Crude Account (ECA) was created and the governors challenged it because it was illegal.”

    The NFIU, in guidelines effective from June 1, banned banks, governors other financial institutions, public officers and relevant stakeholders from tampering with the statutory allocations of Local Government Areas from the Federation Account.

    Errant individuals and companies face direct international and local sanctions.

    Some of the sanctions are possible blacklist of errant governors and the Chief Executive Officers of the affected banks, a complete shutdown of any bank and watch-list of violators in 160 countries where they cannot transact business or pay bills.

    The agency also imposed a daily N500, 000 cash transaction limit on all the 774 local governments in the country.

    The guidelines restored the financial autonomy of the local governments.

    Thus, each local government is free to spend its funds without taking directives from state governors who had hitherto hijacked the monthly allocations of the third tier of government under the guise of State Joint Local Government Account.

    The governors however asked President Muhammadu Buhari to call the NFIU to order because, according to them, the guidelines are in violation of the 1999 Constitution.

    They accused NFIU of stoking mischief and also deliberately seeking to cause disaffection, chaos and overheat the polity.”

    It was learnt that despite their letter to the President, NFIU has been giving state governors a tough time through what a governor described as “intimidation of our bankers.”

    The governors chose to go to court.

  • Buhari: Slavery still exists – we must take action

    To mark August 23rd, which has been declared International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition by the UN, President Muhammadu Buhari published an opinion in the Washington Post newspaper.

    Four centuries ago, the first 20 documented African slaves arrived on the shores of Virginia. In the years that followed, millions more were shipped in dehumanizing conditions across the ocean and enslaved. Slavery had, of course, existed before. But this indicated the beginning of a mechanised trade that saw human beings reduced to property on an unprecedented scale.

    Despite the fact that descendants of African slaves have made valuable contributions across society, they are still dealing with the effects of this poisonous legacy. They still have to navigate its everyday manifestations, such as discrimination, racism or lack of access to resources and opportunities. This must not be overlooked or forgotten.

    Yet, as we reflect on this day, International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition, it is clear slavery did not only thrive then. It still thrives today. Across the world it is estimated there are as many as 40 million men, women and children living in forced servitude. They are the industrial victims of a business many believe was abolished hundreds of years ago. They are the modern enslaved.

    Their exploitation appears in many guises, though usually unrecognized as slavery. Many victims are unseen, hidden beneath opaque supply chains. Others are hidden in plain sight, entrapped by circumstances that rob them of autonomy. In any case, their labour, often dangerous, is no product of choice, and its conditions are self-perpetuating.

    Read Also: Modern slavery still prevalent in Nigeria – Osinbajo

    In Africa, its modern forms include debt bondage, the enslavement of war captives, commercial sexual exploitation and forced domestic servitude. Holding people held against their will, controlling their movements and forcing them to work for the sole profit of others – wherever they are – is slavery today and always.

    The abolitionists of the 19th century succeeded more than any before: By working to extinguish the transatlantic slave trade that had claimed 15 million victims, they laid the groundwork to ensure it did not manufacture millions more. But their work is not done. We must take up their examples as we forge a path forward to eliminate modern-day slavery in all its forms.

    Slavery, once again, has become entwined in the global economy – and it is largely unseen. For instance, most of us might know in principle that the mining of cobalt crucial to our smartphones might have used forced labour. But what do we know of those that experience it? Just as personal testimony and resulting public pressure led to the passing of the Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in Britain in 1807, these stories must be told and used to inform policy. Once heard, they can elevate visceral reactions, driving the public pressure needed to ensure the application of anti-slavery laws.

    One distinction from then and now is important: the costs. From records, adjusted for today’s prices, the cost of a human-being-as-property was valued on average at $40,000. Today, it is just $90, sometimes even lower. We must remember that slavery is not simply a campaign of hatred; it is the pursuit of profit. One way to extinguish it in its current forms, therefore, is to make it economically unfeasible. This means making sure that any anti-slavery laws have bite, come with strong penalties and are enforced.

    It is also vital to have a robust tip-off and reporting system. Where this once meant detecting ships, today the signs are less conspicuous. The public must be shown how to see what is hidden in plain sight, particularly signs of suspicious behaviour. This might seem broad. But vagueness should not give rise to reluctance to report anything that could be smuggling or forced servitude. If something doesn’t look right, report it, for you could be securing another human’s freedom.

    In Nigeria, our anti-trafficking agency has rolled out the “Not for Sale” campaign to protect against the deceptions of human smugglers, helping those who might be vulnerable to false promises see through the ruse and say no. These prevention programmes are crucial.

    The appearance of slavery today might have changed. The institution has not. There are no radical solutions to conjure, only political will. But on this, we can learn from the past, the shadows in which modern slavery proliferates today.

    It is not enough to mark this 400th anniversary. We must use it as a platform to eliminate slavery in all its present-day forms. We should reflect in memory to find a better future, one that should ensure freedom for all.

  • We are fully equipped to deliver, says Omotoso

    Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, has assured Lagosians that members of the state executive council have been fully equipped to deliver on the promises of the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

    He gave the assurance on Saturday while addressing correspondents in the company of some of his colleagues and the Head of Service (HoS), Mr. Hakeem Muri-Okunola on the outcome of a four-day retreat organised by the state government for the exco members and permanent secretaries at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    He said the retreat has prepared them fully for the task ahead promising that Lagosians will see a lot of actions from the government as everything that has been planned will now be put to action.

    According to Omotoso, “We have had an intensive, energy sapping and intellectually fulfilling four-day retreat, it is a spring board for us to take off, now Lagosians are going to see a lot of actions from this government, because everything that has been planned will now be put into action.

    Read Also: Sanwo-Olu to commissioners, special advisers: ensure Lagos remains top destination

    “Everything that we needed to know we have been told; we have giants from both the private and public sectors as well as professionals from all walks of life in the cabinet.

    “We are fully armed and fully energised and we are going to go into action and Lagosians will see a good, better and greater Lagos, the Lagos that we all have been dreaming of, that will be the pride of everybody,” the commissioner stressed.

    Also speaking, the HoS, Muri-Okunola said the retreat which was “fun filled, intensive and with strategy packed sessions will benefit Lagos and Lagosians at large.”

    He said, “It was necessary to have a forum that will create a synergy between the permanent secretaries and the new cabinet members, it is also aimed at bonding the relationship between the two principal officers of government.”

    The retreat, Muri-Okunola said was characterised by a high level of leadership topics, leaders of thought like Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Babatunde Fashola both past governors of the state, Ben Akabueze, Director-General, Federal Budget Office, Wale Edun, Atedo Peterside, Mo Abudu, Dele Alake etc.

    “Who came to grace the occasion with their knowledge and personal as well as public service and public life with variety of topics aimed at creating a shared vision for everybody to key into, setting a tone for the administration sitting primarily on the pillars established by the governor with the acronym THEMES,” the HoS said.

    Also speaking, Ajibola Ponle, Commissioner for Establishment, Training and Pensions said they have been told what is required of them so they are ready to roll up their sleeves to render service.