Governor Akeredolu swears in Head of Service

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Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu Ondo State, has swore-in Head of Service Oluwadare Aragbaiye with an advice to rededicate himself to service.

The governor expressed confidence in the ability of Aragbaiye to give the state civil service a new direction.

Akeredolu said: “I proclaim, confidently, that the celebration of today is about excellence, dedication to duty, unalloyed loyalty to the government of Ondo State and her people, through selfless service spanning more than three decades, competence, humility, continence, honesty and decency.

“I congratulate the people of this state for being able to reap, bountifully, from their investment in this wonderful gift, Oluwadare Aragbaiye, the new Head of Service.”

“Let me join numerous well-wishers, colleagues, friends and members of the family to rejoice with the newly-appointed first public servant of the state.

“Regaling the audience with the sterling qualities of this patriot is needless. No good deeds are hidden; our people are keen observers of events. They are efficient chroniclers. They hardly forget. But I make bold to assert, with palpable joy, that the state is lucky to have him in the saddle at this crucial moment. He has served the people of Ondo State, meritoriously, for over three decades. All good people will agree with this statement.”

The governor also used the occasion to justify the recent government decision to rejig the state civil service.

Akeredolu said: “There have always been some expressions of concern from certain quarters consequent upon  routine decisions taken for the sake of equity and smooth-running of the administration.

“I must say that all our decisions are usually taken in overall public interest.  It is, however, sad to note that some of us usually jump into uninformed conclusions about such decisions without thorough examination of the full information that guided the decisions.

“The recent retirement of some top-notch civil servants was based on the need to inject fresh blood into the system.  You will agree with me that if an officer has put in not less than nine years into the system at the top-most level of his career and has to retire, as supported by extant rules, it will thus not be right to input some mundane reasons for government action.”