We’ll leave behind improved public/civil service, other institutions- Makinde

Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has reiterated that his administration will be remembered for leaving behind a legacy of institutions that can ensure that the state continues to make progress, noting that a new public/civil service is on the horizon in the state.
Governor Makinde stated this on Thursday while receiving the report of the Committee on Review/Update of Public Service Rules and other regulations in the state Civil/Public Service, chaired by a former Secretary to the State Government/Head of Service, Chief Adebisi Adesola, held at the Executive Chamber, Office of the Governor, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
The governor noted that most of the Public Service Rules are obsolete, hence the need to review the rules to bring about a standard practice that will transform the State’s Civil and Public Service as well as the entire workforce.
He said that a technical committee will produce the white-paper on the report within a short period of time, which will be followed with immediate implementation.
“With the work you have done as members of this committee, I make bold to say that it validates my position regarding the legacy I want to be remembered for and what I want to leave behind for our state. It should not be the number of kilometres of road constructed.
“We commissioned the LG House yesterday. Yes, it’s a good thing to do but that is not what I want to be remembered for. Our legacy should come from the institutions that we are able to put together such that good governance will continue in Oyo State even after we are long gone from the system. And this is one of them.
“Once we are able to implement and operationalise what you have done, we will have a different civil service in Oyo State.”
The governor, who maintained that his administration had put in place a lot of measures to improve the Civil Service system in the state, said he would forge ahead to put in place strong institutional frameworks that will ensure that the state continues to experience good governance even after the expiration of his tenure in 2027.
He said, “When we came in, I met the Governor’s Project Monitoring Committee, which was set up in the Governor’s Office. We scrapped it and joined it with the Bureau of Public Procurement.
“After our first tenure, we evaluated the work of BPP and set up the Project Performance Monitoring Agency. We said BPP should midwife projects but won’t be part of the performance monitoring. If you are monitoring the project performance, you cannot come back and say you want to review variation requests. You will have to go back to BPP so that we can have checks and balances in the entire process. So, the heavy work has been done.”
Presenting the report, the chairman of the committee, Chief Adesola, on behalf of the committee appreciated the governor for the opportunity to contribute their quota to his vision and his desire to bring positive development to the State’s Public Service, which he described as a viable institution and a vehicle for good governance.
Chief Adesola commended the governor for prioritising the welfare of workers with his notion of transforming the state from poverty to prosperity and for various steps taken in ensuring that the Civil Service Commission works effectively.
He noted that adoption of the documents presented would birth a new Civil Service that would be more responsible and result in greater output and better delivery of services to the global practices.
The four documents presented for considerations are;

(i) Public Service Rule Volume1, renamed Public Service Rule Volume I Administrative Regulations;
(ii) Public Service Rule Volume 2, now Financial Regulations;
(iii) Public Service Commission Rule 1978 renamed Civil Service Commission Rule; and
(iv) Operational handbook for Civil/Public Service in Oyo State.
The event had in attendance the Deputy Governor, Barr. Bayo Lawal; PDP Deputy National Chairman (South) and a former deputy governor of Oyo State, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja; former deputy governors, Engr. Hamid Gbadamosi and Alhaji Hazeem Gbolarumi.
Also in attendance were the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin; Secretary to the State Government, Professor Olanike Adeyemo; Head of Service, Mrs Olubunmi Oni (mni); Deputy Chief of Staff, Hon. Fola Oyekunle; Chairman, Oyo State Advisory Council, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN); Commissioners, members of review committee, labour union and other government functionaries.

Sulaimon Olanrewaju
Special Adviser (Media) to Oyo State Governor
October 3, 2024.