Makinde swears in Aderibigbe as Oyo civil service commission chairman

OYO State governor, Mr Seyi Makinde, has sworn in Alhaji Kamorudeen Aderibigbe as the chairman of the state’s Civil Service Commission.

The governor, who also swore in three permanent secretaries at a ceremony held on Thursday at the Government House, Agodi, Ibadan, declared that the time to reform the service was now.

Makinde said he was con- fident that Alhaji Aderibigbe and other members of the board of the commission, who were also sworn in at the event, were up to the task.

The governor stated that the task before the govern- ment, which the newly in- augurated commission must key into, include civil service reform, training and retrain- ing of the workforce as well as exploring e-governance.

He said: “I want to con- gratulate the chairman and members of the Oyo State Civil Service Commission and I welcome you on board.

“The chairman taught me in primary 6 and, with this, I want to say that the rewards of teachers are no longer in heaven. If you put in hard work, you never know when your students will show up.

“You are coming on board at an auspicious time in our history. It is time for us to re- form the civil service. I do not entertain any shred of doubt that you have the capacity, competence and will to carry out the necessary reform in the Oyo State Civil Service.

Speaking with Saturday Tribune, Alhaji Aderibigbe, expressed gratitude to God and thanked Governor Makinde for deeming him worthy of the appointment.

He said: “I also give him ku- dos for the caliber of selfless and God-fearing Commissioners appointed to serve with me. No doubt, the Civil Service Commission is really a place to serve humanity which is actually the purpose of human creation.

“I also thank God that our governor has already created an enabling environment to make our assignment much easier, with his workers-friendly nature. He has successfully won the hearts of the citizens of the state, including the working class and pensioners.

“The trade unions are for him, artisans are for him, traders are for him, even traditional rulers and religious leaders are praying. With all these, our job has been made easy.

“The permanent secretary of the commission, Deacon David Olatunde, is a man of integrity, very articulate, hardworking and resourceful. No doubt, our governor has given us the instrument of office, and by the grace of God, we shall not betray the confi- dence reposed in us.”

Aderibigbe retired as a Di- rector of Personnel Manage- ment in the Local Govern- ment Service of Oyo State in 2011.