Speeches

Valedictory Service For The Retiring Head Of Service, Alhaji Yakub Balogun

May 14, 2010 - As we gather today to do honour to a distinguished public servant who has voluntarily elected to bow out before the statutory time permitted for service, I feel truly enthused to have the opportunity to make a speech. '

Since 2002 when I joined the Lagos State public service, I have been privileged to work with 3 (three) Heads of Service of our State at very close quarters.

The first was Rafiu Babatunde Tinubu, a towering figure fondly called RB who was my colleague in the State Executive Council. He was succeeded by Akinsanya Sunny Ajose, a self effacing gentleman fondly called Sunny, who still serves in our Government today and of course the man of the moment, Yakub Abiodun Balogun, a man of enormous modesty fondly called Ajoo.

The last two Heads of Service I interacted more closely with, because Mr. Ajose and Mr. Balogun were successively elevated to the leadership of the State public service while serving respectively as Permanent Secretary to the Office of the Chief of Staff at the time I was privileged to be the Chief of Staff to Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

I feel confident to assert that each of the 3 (three) Heads of Service who have served our State in the last 11 (eleven) years of our democratic experience since 1999 have helped to restore the glory of the public service in their unique and various ways.

For our dear Alhaji Balogun, he led this Service with an uncommon welfarist approach. He was a father and friend to all and an adversary to none. He spear-headed many initiatives that sought in my view to strengthen the bonds of unity amongst public servants and continued many of those he inherited which served the purpose at different levels.

Undoubtedly in my view, his greatest strength was his disarming humility and courtesy to all who encountered him, including myself.

He got so many things done for our State by putting himself last. It is a character strength that is most ideal and worthy of emulation for every public servant if we must remain true to our mandate as servants of the people.

He was never one to wear the authority or privilege of his office on his sleeve and in spite of how hard myself and members of the Executive Council pushed him he remained true to his calling as a quintessential leader of the public service whose brief was to maintain a necessary but delicate balance between the political office holders and the career public servants.

In my view he did a great job of discharging that brief.

Although our Government continues to evolve and build on foundations of the past, it is only fair and just to credit him for his role and the successes achieved during his tenure.

He did not squander the gains of the past but used them as critical building blocks to reinvigorate our public service to its present pride of place and I bear testimony to how many people have left the private sector to join us, the number of applications we are still considering and the respect that the Lagos State civil servant is now accorded not only in the State, but across Nigeria and beyond for the great things that you have all achieved.

As you bow out gracefully, after a career of unblemished public and noble service, I believe ~ that I speak for the minds of all the State civil servants by stating that we will miss you.

As much as we are reluctant to see you off, we respect your personal wish and desire to move on to greater things as destiny certainly beckons.

Please be assured that you go with the abundance of our best regards and sincere wishes for unqualified success in your next and future endeavors.

On behalf of my wife, the Government and people of Lagos State, I thank your wife and children for enduring your absence and demonstrating the understanding that have certainly been of immense value towards achieving all the successes that your tenure witnessed.

May Allah continue to guard, guide and prosper the entire Yakub Abiodun Balogun family.

Thank you for listening.

Eko o ni baje o!

Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN
Governor of Lagos State