Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole says the appointment of Major Lawrence Loye (rtd) as Permanent Secretary was a deliberate shock therapy to jolt the civil service back to action.
The Governor who disclosed this yesterday during the swearing-in ceremony of Major Loye said the appointment was based on merit.
“The appointment of Major Loye is deliberate, it is the most potent indication of the fact that it is no longer business as usual. For us to take Edo to the next level we cannot use outdated tools to drive digital changes. It is now business unusual. It is not how close to the governor that will determine the position you hold, but your competence, who you are and what you are capable of doing”, he noted.
According to him, Major Loye’s appointment has shown that Nigeria is one and the same, stressing that though he is not an Edo man, he has shown by his action and conduct that he is a full blooded Edo man.
“Those who are aware of the changes in the state know that Major Loye has been a driver of those changes beginning with the Akpakpava road, Airport road, Siluko road and several other locations within the state. Ordinary this are responsibility vested in the Ministry of Land and survey, they know what constitute the right of way, they know what is an illegal structure, but they also chose to look the other way when the illegal structures are being put in place.
“I had to sidetrack the ministry of land and survey to bring in a Major who had no knowledge of land matters to try to enforce the right of way and to clean up those illegal structures. Those who said it was not possible to expand Akpakpava road are now driving through the road, courtesy Major and myself,” he added.
The governor said as part of the difficult decisions he had to take was to go outside the civil service to appoint Major Loye.
The governor who assured the civil servants in the state that he appreciates them and they have nothing to be afraid of maintained that this appointment is the most bold practical statement that has been made in the past four years in the state.
“Those who are willing to change with us to manage their ministry and their desk competently and efficiently with the same level of passion we are bringing to the job will not only be retained but will be promoted. But those who think that the public service is like a village square where meat is shared on the basis of seniority will be shocked that there is no meat on the table to share.
So much can be done with some level of courage, clear vision and honest intentions. We had to outside the civil service to appoint the PermSec, to my own embarrassment, having spent all my life fighting and agitating for the cause and welfare of workers. I want to assure the civil servants that they have nothing to fear, but I want to say no one is permanent, the only thing that is permanent is change.
“I am a contract worker who has less than four years to go, therefore, I need men and women who are as impatient as me to take Edo to the next level.
“I went to the Oba Ovoranmwene Square this morning, and I saw some broken bottles which constitute health risk to our children who use that place everyday, yet it is the duty of a Director in the Ministry of Environment to get that place clean. Edo state won’t wait for anyone, since workers at the Ministry of Environment are not ready to change, we will board the train and leave them at the station.
“In the Ministry of Environment, we have directors whose sole business is to ensure that Edo is clean. I promised the Oba of Benin that we will reclaim the moat and we will continue from where we stopped in our first term, that in our second term, we will sustain the pressure. I went round the moat last week, even areas that have been reclaimed, under the watchful eyes of our Ministry of Environment, the moat has again been compromised and it has been converted to refuse dump, just as they converted to Oba Ovonramwan square to a refuse dump,” he added.
The Governor urged the new Permanent Secretary to conform to the extant rules guiding the service, asking him to be fair but firm in his actions. He said with the new appointment, Major Loye is not expected to be an executive Permanent secretary working from the office but a field officer.
Responding, Major Loye assured the Governor that he will discharge the responsibility to the best of his ability without fear or favour and he thanked the governor for the confidence reposed on him.
