Obaseki appoints Ogie as SSG, others

Newly-inaugurated Governor Godwin Obaseki has appointed the director-general of his campaign organisation, Osarodio Ogie, as the Secretary to the State Government (SSG).

Speaking yesterday while swearing in Ogie, the Edo State governor, who also appointed Mr. Taiwo Akerele as Chief of Staff and Mr. John Mayaki as interim Chief Press Secretary, promised to reduce the cost of governance not by sacking workers but by realigning the current workforce.

He said his team would work with the permanent secretaries in the next six weeks with a view to understanding the processes and the system.

Obaseki, who reminded the new appointees and permanent secretaries that his purpose in governance was to serve the people because expectations from them were high, gave an assurance that his administration would deliver on its promises.

He said: “We will tackle the challenges ahead of us. We are cognisant of what is going on around. Government has to work for politics to succeed. Initially, we will emphasise more governance. Let us put in place a governance structure so that our political structure can survive and endure.”

The governor, who solicited for maximum co-operation from the civil service to enable him discharge his mandate effectively, expressed confidence in the civil service and pledged that his administration would build a stronger, vibrant, trusted, competent and reliable workforce to meet the challenges ahead.