… As Office of Drainage Services Holds Year 2021 Management Retreat
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, over the weekend reiterated the commitment of Lagos State to continually enhance productivity and boost the morale of members of staff from time to time.
Bello, who stated this at a three-day Management Retreat organised by the Ministry and held at the Pelican Hotel, Lekki, with the theme, “Drainage Management in Lagos State, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, added that the Government had prioritised capacity building as well as the issue of welfare of staff.
He affirmed that the theme of the retreat is very significant as it is consistent with the vision to ensure inclusive growth, stating that social engineering has become imperative whereby drainage designs must have positive impacts on society as a whole.
The Commissioner explained that it is high time resident engineers from the Ministry work closely with the Local Government Chairmen and authorities on how to embrace drainage maintenance, stressing that maintenance of tertiary drainages are the responsibility of LGAs while primary and secondary drainages fall within the purview of the State government.
According to him, “The Ministry needs to integrate Local Government in the drainage maintenance activities. The truth is without Local Government buy-in, we cannot achieve the desired maintenance of our tertiary drainages, which explains the reasons why their inputs are being sought for continuous drainage maintenance sustainability”.
Bello commended the efforts of the Emergency Flood Abatement Gangs (EFAG) of the Ministry for consistently de-silting and working on various linkages to the secondary and primary channels in all the 57 Local Government and Local Council Development Areas throughout the year to enable them to discharge efficiently and regularly.
He encouraged participants to avail themselves of the opportunity of being equipped with the right skills at the retreat, adding that they should not rest on their oars but continue to exhibit a high sense of responsibility and commitment to duty.
In his contribution, the Special Adviser on Drainage and Water Resources, Engr. Joe Igbokwe, stressed that the theme “Drainage Management in Lagos State, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” willlay out plans for a strong foundation of future development in Lagos State.
He said the present administration led by Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, believes in staff capacity building, noting that the State Government has invested enormously in human resource development for optimal performance.
“I will continue to express my great appreciation to every one of you for always contributing your quota immensely to the development of the State. I want you to always bear in mind that the reward for hard work is more work. So I want you to focus on the future, which will be determined by your actions of today”, he said.
The Permanent Secretary, Local Government Establishment, Training and Pensions, Mr. Abiodun Bamgboye, who spoke on Emotional Intelligence, otherwise known as Emotional Quotient, stated that it is critical for every leader to manage his own emotions and understand himself because emotions can drive behaviour.
He stated that a leader must always show empathy and put himself in the shoes of subordinates and must not abdicate his responsibilities and powers.
The MD/CEO LAWMA, Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni, delivering a lecture titled: “Municipal Solid Wastes Management and Drainage Maintenance in Lagos State – The LAWMA Experience”, stated that Marine Waste Operation started with 17 marine waste service providers assigned to over 30 shorelines and major canals across the State.
He added that LAWMA had been engaged in the massive evacuation of waste from canals and drainage since May 2020 in line with T.H.E.M.E.S. Agenda, noting that the agency had also partnered with various NGOs and recyclers.
Also speaking, the Head of Projects Arts in Science Ltd, Mr. Inyang Effiong, in his paper titled “Technology for Effective Drainage Channel Management”, said in building and maintaining of the drainage channels, technology must be put into consideration, adding that technology application helps in solving drainage problems and improving on existing ones.
