HE, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, the Executive Governor of Osun State.
The Guest Speaker, Prof. Oladapo Afolabi OON, CFR, Former Head of Civil Service of the Federation.
The Chairman of the fifth Annual Foundation Lecture, Dr. Goke Adegoroye OON, a retired Federal Permanent Secretary,
Chief M. I. Aboaba, Founder MIATF,
Our special invitees, particularly
Chief Bayo Oyero,
The Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Teslim Igbalaye
The Vice Chairman and Members of the Association of Retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries
The Head of Service, Mr. Leye Aina,
The Chairman and members of the BOT
Permanent secretaries and acting Permanent Secretaries,
Heads of Federal Agencies in the State,
Directors and top civil servants in the management cadres

Our other Special Invitees,
Gentlemen of the Press,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with great delight that I welcome our Special Guest of Honour and our distinguished scholar, a renowned Technocrat who is presenting this Annual Lecture.

I equally welcome the Chairman of this event, Dr. Goke Adegoroye, OON, who equally is an academician of note and scientist turned Civil Servant, known principally as an advocate of integrity in the public service.

To the glory of God, the Administration of Osun State started in 1991 with Civil Service that came with the age-long virtues of discipline, dedication, hardwork and patriotism inherited from the old Western Region which made that service the best in the Federation and a positive point of reference both nationally and internationally.

Chief M.I. Aboaba was appointed from the Service as the first Secretary to the Government of the new Osun State. Within a short space of four months (September - December 1991), he bequeathed a worthy Civil Service to the succeeding Administration.

There is no gain saying the fact that a lot of vicissitudes , particularly low morale and declining productivity.have befallen our much beloved Service. Consequently, a couple of years ago, the Founder of this Foundation, while marking his birthday, resolved that an annual “Good Governance Lecture” aimed at enhancing the productivity and effectiveness of the Civil Service will always be given. It is one of his pay back mechanisms to his beloved State and the larger society. Others include granting scholarships to selected brilliant but poor students and giving of interest-free loans to poor widows.

Today’s lecture is the fifth of its kind while the giving of interest-free loans to widows is held on 6th July annually and the forth coming edition will be the 19th.

Our Chairman, Dr. Goke Adegoroye, OON is an epitome of probity, hardwork, discipline and an embodiment of good leadership virtues. He has variously contributed to the policy decision at the Federal level when he served as Director General of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, and later served as Permanent Secretary in the Ministries of Education, Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Interior and the Federal Capital Territory Administration, among others.

In retirement, Dr. Goke Adegoroye OON is the CEO of GSDI (Governance and Sustainable Development Initiatives) Limited. A Management Consulting firm providing strategic think tanks using innovative and practical approaches to strengthen the public service as the effective engine of governance and platform for State Transformation and Sustainable Development.

Once again, you are welcome to Osun State!

Professor Dapo Afolabi OON, CFR,our Guest Speaker is a former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation who retired in September 2011. Prior to joining the Civil Service, he lectured at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, LAUTECH Ogbomoso and also served as visiting Lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, among others.

In the Civil Service, he played major roles in Environmental Protection, Education, Labour, Agriculture, Water Resources Management Policies among others. Professor Afolabi is a receptor t of many Academic, National and International awards. Justice will be done on this when we present a brief citation on our Guest Speaker.

In arriving at the topic of Year 2023 Annual Lecture, the BOT carefully reviewed the State of Nation and arrived at a painful conclusion that in spite of abundance of human and material resources, the nation paradoxically became the poverty capital of the world. We observed that a crucial missing link is leadership. This pathetic situation is reflected in the human development index particularly as reflected in education and health statistics. The existing situation portends danger and calls for major transformation.

This is particularly desirable in a year of General Elections in our country. We have come to the realisation of the fact that the quality of the political and administrative executives which are intricately interwoven and this is a major determinant of the effectiveness of governance in the larger society.

The era of selection or election of leaders on the basis of primordial considerations such as ethnicity, wealth, religious affiliation or tribes should no longer arise. Time has come when in the selection or election of leaders for effective governance, emphasis should now be based on competence, capacity, integrity and character. Effective governance demands accountability and transparency.

Finally, the bureaucracy when led by the right and focused political leadership will greatly assist in achieving the desired goal of effective implementation of policies and programmes. The welfare of the people will be greatly enhanced.

Your Excellency, the Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, we are here to draw from the well of knowledge and vast experience of our Guest Speaker. Let us take full advantage of this opportunity.

In conclusion, let us rise as we jointly wish Chief M.I. Aboaba, the Founder of MIATF whose 83rd birthday is tomorrow,a happy Birthday and many happy returns of the day as we sing Happy Birthday Chorus.

Once again, You are all welcome.