By Temitope Oyefeso
One language synonymous with the civil service is ‘the record of service’, which is an administrative detail of different areas of work experience for every civil servant. The record of service chronicles different agencies of government where a public servant has been deployed to work and contribute to service delivery to the citizenry.
For the recently retired Lagos State Head of Service, Hakeem Muri-Okunola (HMO as fondly called), his record of service in the Lagos state public service highlighted a sterling career across different agencies and ministries, where testimonies abound of his bureaucratic expertise and public service acumen.
As the 21st Head of Service of Lagos State, his last office in the Lagos State employment, where he recently voluntarily retired to assume another national assignment, it is suffice to say his record of service as the Head of Service is one of sterling performance; reengineering the civil service and putting it in its enviable place as the most vibrant public service in Nigeria.
Appointed in December 2018, I recall him telling a group of people at a reception at that time that his primary responsibility was to oversee the state’s civil service, ensuring efficient administration and delivery of services to the people of Lagos. This he followed with passion and dedication. He was a thorough bureaucrat!
During his 5year tenure, Muri-Okunola focused on implementing reforms to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the civil service. He prioritized human capacity development, training, and retraining programs for civil servants to enhance their skills and professionalism.
Under his leadership, initiatives were put in place to promote transparency, accountability, and performance-based management within the civil service. He advocated the use of technology and digital platforms to streamline government processes and improve service delivery.
His tenure as the Head of Service saw the implementation of policies and programs aimed at enhancing the welfare, motivation, and career progression of civil servants. The most notable of these interventions is the reward and recognition system for outstanding performance. Members of staff who were duly recognised for their service to the state won’t forget this in a lifetime.
Hakeem Muri-Okunola’s tenure as the Head of Service was marked by his commitment to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the civil service in the centre of excellence. His efforts contributed to the advancement of the present administration’s Themes agenda, now renamed Themes plus.
As one of his mentors, former Lagos Governor, Babatunde Fashola often says, ‘the reward for hard work is more work’, this informs the reason why HMO is back to where he started from, working closely with his father figure and the man who brought him to public service, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the country’s President, who has snapped him from Lagos to Abuja, to work closely with him as his Principal Secretary.
Without an iota of doubt, HMO will not only be bringing his expertise to bear in the service of the President and the country, it is what reiterating this is a choice well-informed and will impact positively in running of the President’s office.
Congrats, HMO, our chairman.
Temitope Oyefeso, a Public Affairs commentator sent this piece from Ikate-Elegushi, Eti-Osa, Lagos.