Oyebanji: Strong civil service essential for good governance and economic growth

Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has described a professional and politically neutral civil service as indispensable for effective governance, sustainable development and economic growth.

Oyebanji, who spoke through the State Service Chief, Dr. Folakemi Olomojobi, made the statement at the 12th South West Regional Quarterly Meeting of the Association of Retired Service Chiefs and Permanent Secretaries held in Ado Ekiti.

The governor commended the region’s retired senior civil servants for their contributions to public administration, saying their professionalism, integrity and experience had helped build an enduring foundation for governance in the South West.

Oyebanji also disclosed that his administration drew heavily on the experience of retired bureaucrats in appointing three members of the association to the State Executive Council.

Among them, he said, was the immediate former head of the service, Mrs Peju Babafemi, who currently holds the position of Commissioner for Women Affairs.

“It is not out of place to note that political leaders continue to attract members from this strategic group. I am sure to have no less than three of your members in my Executive Council,” the governor said.

He added that his administration remains committed to improving the welfare of retired service chiefs, permanent secretaries and other public servants.

“I am courageous in saying that the current administration is committed to easing the retired lives of the Chief of Service, Permanent Secretaries and civil servants in general,” Oyebanji said.

In his keynote address, a former service chief, SO Bankole, warned civil servants against overt or covert involvement in partisan politics, arguing that such involvement could compromise their neutrality and diminish the quality of professional advice available to political leaders.

Speaking on the topic “The Doctrine of Neutrality (Impartiality) and Anonymity”, Bankole maintained that the bureaucracy must remain professionally neutral regardless of the political administration in power.

He said: “Our bureaucracy should maintain its ascription of neutrality under any political dispensation.”

Bankole added that civil servants have a responsibility to provide political leaders with objective professional advice rather than simply supporting their preferences.

“The truly loyal public officials are the ones who tell politicians what they should know and not what they want to hear,” he said.

The regional president of the association, Demola Badejo, said the body is strengthening its partnership with key development institutions in the South West, including the South West Development Commission, Western Nigeria Development Agenda Commission and Odu’a Investment Company Limited.

Badejo, a lawyer and former Ogun State Council president of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, said the partnerships follow his recent engagements with organizations in Ibadan.

He urged state chapters to support the implementation of the association’s seven-point agenda, which he said was designed to reposition the organization and contribute to the development of the South West.

According to him, the experience and networks accumulated by retired civil servants should not end with their retirement from active service.

“Our task is not simply to celebrate our past, but is also to use our collective experience, our knowledge and our networks to guide future generations and contribute significantly to the development of the region and the country at large,” Badejo said.

Badejo also announced plans to launch an initiative known as “Odu’a House”, modeled on Chatham House in London, where aspiring politicians would be invited to interact with stakeholders ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said the initiative would begin with the unveiling of candidates for the 2027 elections at the Lagos Airport Hotel in the coming weeks.

Badejo revealed that he had visited Chatham House in London around three weeks earlier to explore possible areas of collaboration for the initiative.

He said the proposed platform would provide an avenue for candidates to articulate their agendas and engage with the public on governance and development issues.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Ekiti State chapter of the association, Chief Oluwole Ariyomo, commended Oyebanji for his support for the organisation.

Ariyomo also highlighted what he described as the governor’s administration’s efforts in infrastructure development, youth employment and agriculture.

He specifically cited road projects and reconstruction of Ikogosi Warm Springs tourism facility as areas of development under the administration.

The one-day regional meeting attracted delegates from Ekiti, Ogun, Oyo, Lagos, Osun and Ondo states.

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