Ambode swears in 57 sole administrators, warns against corruption

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday swore in Sole Administrators for the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), of the state warning them to avoid corruption and that he will not hesitate to sack administrators who engage in corrupt practices.

Ambode told the appointees at the State House, Ikeja, Lagos, that it would no longer be business as usual as the people of the state and the government would be watching them.

Speaking at the ceremony attended by party faithful and well-wishers, Ambode charged the appointees to see their appointment as Sole Administrators as a call to service of the people, saying that “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.

“Your job is to go to the Local Governments you have been posted and make a difference to the lives of the people. You must touch lives and be prepared to have your lives also touched by our people. You must interact with the people, share their joys and pain, and reside among them. It is only through this symbiotic relationship that we can truly say we have begun to understand and serve our people.”

He, however, warned that he would not tolerate any form of corruption as such administrators would be sacked immediately.
“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,” he stated.

Ambode said the swearing-in was another step by his administration to give governance back to the people of the state by making the Local Governments and LCDAs a vibrant, responsive and viable part of the Lagos State Government.

He recollected that the Lagos State House of Assembly recently passed a resolution that the previous local government committee’s be dissolved and Sole Administrators appointed in their place, saying that it was in line with this, that the administrators were being sworn in to manage the affairs of the LGs and LCDAs.

According to him, “the hallmark of any good government is to provide basic services to the communities at the grassroots. This is the only way the real dividends of good governance can spread downwards and touch the hearts and minds of its people.