Governor Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos State yesterday swore in new sole administrators for the 20 local government and 37 local council development areas in the state, warning that any administrator who fails to serve the people diligently or abuses his or her office will be removed.
Stressing that the era of financial recklessness and impunity is over in the state, the Governor said it is not going to be business as usual in Lagos local government administration.
He disclosed this at the swearing in ceremony held at the Government House, Ikeja, explaining that the essence of their appointments is to give governance back to the people of the state with a view to making the local governments and local councils vibrant, responsive and viable.
According to him, “Let me seize this opportunity to warn that we will not hesitate to remove and replace any administrator who fails to serve the people diligently or abuses his/her office.
“A strict monitoring, control and feedback process will be put in place to ensure that there are no excesses or excuses. Strict accountability must be your watchword. Lagosians will be watching you and we will be watching you too.
“Your appointment today as sole administrators should therefore be seen as a call to service of our people. You are relay runners on a journey of reform that will ultimately culminate in the election of accountable people that will carry on the baton of good governance for our people. For the duration of your race, I urge you to run the race efficiently with diligence so you do not betray the trust that has been placed in you.
“It will no longer be business as usual. Rather it will be a tough journey requiring character, leadership, commitment and resilience of those at the helm of affairs to actualise our dreams.”
