PARASTATALS MONITORING OFFICE COMMITTED TO ACHIEVING GREATER LAGOS VISION
Lagos State Parastatals Monitoring Office (PMO) has re-emphasised its resolve to achieve the Greater Lagos vision of the present administration, despite the disruption and challenges occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic and #EndSARS protests in Y2020.
The Special Adviser, Parastatal Monitoring Office, Mr. Afolabi Ayantayo, stated this while presenting accounts of his stewardship at the Y2021 Ministerial Press Briefing held at Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, as part of activities marking the second anniversary of the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Ayantayo stated that since the inception of the present administration, the office has been working in tandem with the State government’s policy thrust under the six major developmental pillars conceptualised in the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda.
In his words: “The mandate of the Parastatals Monitoring Office is to ensure that all parastatals and government-owned companies in the State attune themselves to the attainment of the Greater Lagos vision. Hence, the need to oversee their proper functioning and effective service delivery towards achieving their set goals and objectives”.
The Special Adviser disclosed that PMO’s officials have gone round all parastatals and government-owned companies thrice in the last two years to ensure that they operate maximally and within the law, while functioning based on the administrative and financial guidelines stipulated by the State government.
According to him, the tour was to ensure that the Parastatals are working and discharging their services effectively, stressing that the Office would continue to monitor the entities to ensure that they enhance service delivery to Lagosians is in line with the stipulated Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and set targets.
On the enabling laws guiding the operations of the Parastatals and government-owned companies, Ayantayo said 54 of such laws are either obsolete or impeding the effectiveness of the parastatals. He said the outdated laws have been forwarded to the Law Reform Office for review and drafting of new laws that are in tune with the prevailing situation to enable the organisations deliver their services effectively to Lagosians.
He said the PMO is also intensifying efforts at getting entrepreneurs to establish business relationships with parastatals and government-owned companies with a view to promoting expertise, goal-driven activities, effective service delivery to the people and achieving the desired 21st-century economy goal of the current administration.
On capacity building, the Special Adviser averred that the Office has trained 600 officers of parastatals in one form of training or the other, including workshops and seminars, to acquaint them with the operational guidelines applicable to all agencies, particularly in specialised areas such as procurement processes, auditing and human resources.
“For proper coordination and effective monitoring, the Parastatals Monitoring Office classified agencies into sectors under the six development pillars of the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda, based on their mandates and enabling laws, in order to make them more involved in the implementation of the development policies and programmes of the State Government”, he submitted.
Speaking on the destruction caused by the #EndSARS protest, Ayantayo said 20 parastatals suffered varying degrees of devastation while private property were not spared, adding that his office took an assessment of damages at the Parastatals and government-owned companies and forwarded the report to the appropriate quarters for necessary action.
While maintaining that his office would continue to strengthen the parastatals by exposing the Chief Executive Officers and management staff to the latest developments in their various areas of operation, the Special Adviser noted that it is essential because the government expects them to contribute meaningfully to the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda and other policies within their ambit.
CAPTIONS:
PIX 1: The Special Adviser, Parastatals Monitoring Office (PMO), Mr. Afolabi Ayantayo, delivering his address at the Y2021 Ministerial Press Briefing.
PIX 2: (L-R): The Permanent Secretary, Parastatals Monitoring Office (PMO), Dr Jimoh Amudaliu Yusuph; Special Adviser, Parastatals Monitoring Office (PMO), Mr. Afolabi Atantayo; Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Olusina Thorpe at the Y2021 Ministerial Press Briefing.
