AS the Head of the civil service of Ondo State, a civil servant needs to have a rich and inspiring record of service, with the ability to bring their wealths of experience to bear on service delivery. Also, such civil servants need professionals to attest to their honesty and hardworking nature, so they can set an agenda for the Sunshine State’s civil service. They also need to have established the reputation required to be considered for the position as the number one civil servant of the state, especially at this crucial point in time. Mr. Kayode Olaniyi Ogundele must have garnered these credentials, which accounted for why Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, appointed him as the Head of Service.
THE Hope commends the governor for his foresight over Ogundele’s appointment, following the retirement of Mr. John Adeyemo, making Mr. Ogundele the 15th Head of Service of the state. Prior to this development, Ogundele had served as the Permanent Secretary, Cabinet and Special Services Department of the Governor’s Office. Though a number of civil servants got recruited with Ogundele at the same time, his records of achievements and wealths of experience enabled him to be the one to ascend the exalted position. Of course, over the years, he has built intimidating resume both in local, national, and international circles, which enabled his consideration for appointment.
NEEDLESS to say, the civil service plays a significant role in any geo-entity, because it works in tandem with the government in providing good governance for millions of people who reside in such state. Consequently, stakeholders in the state expect the service to carry out its operations at all times in an efficient manner. With the appointment of Ogundele, the governor has made sure no vacuum exists in the business of governance, especially as millions of people resident in the state expect an effective service delivery at all times, and it behooves the civil service to provide the bulk of the functions.
TO ensure an efficient delivery of service in a place such as Ondo State, the public service needs to effect control measures to regulate its activities for a seamless delivery of services and accountability. In other words, a personality with a good integrity and competence should play this role, empowered with the necessary tools to actualize efficient and effective roles towards providing a good governance within the state.
WITHOUT an iota of doubt, the governor has made sure the pace at providing good governance within the state will not slacken with the appointment of the new Head of Service, who will help immensely at regulating activities for a seamless delivery of government business. Furthermore, residents of the state require continual improvements in such sectors as agriculture, administration, and other aspects of governance, as these form the ingredients of an open and democratic society. Essentially, such sectors result in more effective capitalization of resources and development of programmes to sustain and promote good governance in the state.
EVIDENTLY, the governor made the sustenance of good governance a priority with the appointment of the new Head of Service, especially as the prevailing situation in the country necessitates as fast as possible an effective capitalization of development indices for millions of people. Therefore, The Hope congratulates Mr. Ogundele on his appointment, seeing it as putting a square peg in a square hole, since the state desires to march towards the sustenance of good administration.
HOWEVER, the new Head of Service should utilize his position to accelerate the digitalization of the administration of the state, with the objective of reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks and allowing a quick dispensation of government business.
Also, he should ensure that government prioritizes the training and retraining of civil servants, and since residents of the state expect so much from them, they should not be found wanting, and the Head of Service can help in this direction.
MR. Ogundele should also provide the government with data relating to personnel requirement in the service, so it can surmount any challenge posed by shortage of staff. He should ensure a friendly relationship between workers and the government, just as his predecessor had done, so the Sunshine State continues to enjoy industrial peace, with the atmosphere free of workers’ strikes or rumours of strikes.
