By Kayode Olopade
The Lagos State Government has intensified reforms aimed at improving accountability, transparency and operational efficiency across its parastatals, agencies and government-owned companies, unveiling a broad range of institutional initiatives designed to strengthen governance and service delivery.
The reforms were highlighted during the Y2026 Ministerial Press Briefing commemorating the seventh year in office of Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, where the Permanent Secretary, Parastatals Monitoring Office, Dr. Olugbemiga Ayoola Aina, presented key achievements and strategic interventions undertaken by the office.
According to Aina, the administration has continued to reposition state-owned institutions through improved corporate governance, performance monitoring, project oversight and inter-agency collaboration in line with the state government’s development agenda.
One of the major highlights was the 2026 Chief Executive Officers’ Retreat for heads of parastatals, agencies and government-owned companies, held in Lekki under the theme, “Charting the Future: Bold Leadership for Resilient Institutions.”
The retreat, which attracted top government officials and chief executives, focused on strengthening leadership resilience, institutional accountability and financial prudence in public administration. Discussions centred on governance reforms, manpower development, health insurance coverage, regulatory compliance and strategic collaboration among government institutions.
Aina said the retreat reinforced the role of chief executives as drivers of institutional performance and quality service delivery, adding that participants were encouraged to adopt practical reform strategies capable of enhancing operational efficiency across agencies.
In another landmark initiative, the Lagos State Government hosted its maiden Lagos State and Federal Parastatals Summit aimed at fostering synergy between federal and state institutions operating within the state.
The summit, themed “Enhancing Efficiency, Accountability and Strategic Governance across Lagos State and Federal Parastatals,” brought together heads of agencies, chief executives and senior government officials to address overlapping mandates, improve policy coordination and strengthen institutional collaboration.
The Permanent Secretary disclosed that the summit produced agreements on harmonisation of programmes, improved inter-agency coordination, data sharing and the establishment of a framework for continuous engagement among institutions.
Describing the event as a strategic governance milestone, he noted that the initiative reaffirmed Lagos State’s leadership role in advancing public sector reforms and institutional accountability in Nigeria.
The office also carried out a maiden verification exercise for directly recruited non-Oracle retirees across parastatals and agencies to strengthen data integrity, eliminate irregularities and improve the administration of pension benefits.
The exercise, according to Aina, led to the creation of a credible personnel database, improved transparency in records management and generated reliable data for policy formulation and pension administration reforms.
Similarly, targeted review sessions were conducted to assess compliance with pension remittance obligations among agencies and government-owned companies. The exercise identified gaps in remittance processes and encouraged stricter compliance with pension regulations.
As part of measures to boost internally generated revenue and improve financial performance, the Parastatals Monitoring Office sustained its quarterly Parastatals Revenue Generating Meetings aimed at reviewing the performance of over 80 agencies and evaluating revenue collection strategies.
The office also intensified periodic inspections, performance evaluations and operational reviews across several agencies to ensure compliance with government financial guidelines, achievement of revenue targets and adherence to approved operational standards.
Aina revealed that the government engaged consultants to review the operations and business processes of selected agencies with the objective of streamlining activities, clarifying institutional mandates and improving service delivery.
The office equally embarked on working tours and on-the-spot assessments across numerous parastatals and government-owned companies to evaluate operational efficiency, infrastructure, succession planning and alignment with the state’s T.H.E.M.E.S Plus development agenda.
To strengthen institutional collaboration and reduce duplication of functions, the government organised strategic engagement platforms such as the Parastatals Interface seminar and the Parastatals Knowledge Sharing forum for revenue officers.
The knowledge-sharing initiative focused on the use of Key Performance Indicators to improve revenue generation, build institutional capacity and align revenue collection systems with the state’s digital revenue portal.
In furtherance of workplace reforms, the office organised an employee wellness and mental health workshop for management staff across agencies, focusing on stress management, emotional intelligence, work ethics and productivity enhancement.
The government also convened a maiden stakeholders’ synergy meeting to improve project monitoring, transparency and coordination in the execution of government projects across agencies and government-owned companies.
The Permanent Secretary noted that the initiative strengthened oversight mechanisms and reinforced the importance of accountability and value-for-money principles in project implementation.
As part of its oversight responsibilities, the office carried out project monitoring exercises across 25 agencies to assess compliance with approved policies, identify implementation challenges and ensure timely delivery of government projects.
In addition, ad-hoc monitoring and investigative visits were conducted to agencies including Lagos Ferry Services, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority and Lagos State College of Nursing to address operational concerns, safety issues and service delivery complaints.
The Permanent Secretary said the monitoring exercises enabled the government to identify operational gaps, assess safety compliance and recommend corrective measures aimed at improving institutional effectiveness.
To deepen public engagement and improve awareness of government activities, the office also expanded its “Know Your Agencies” public enlightenment initiative on Lagos Traffic Radio with the introduction of a Yoruba-language version of the programme.
According to Aina, the initiative has enhanced communication between government agencies and residents by providing citizens with direct access to chief executives of agencies and improving public understanding of government services and policies.
He maintained that the broad range of reforms and oversight initiatives undertaken by the Parastatals Monitoring Office reflects the Sanwo-Olu administration’s commitment to institutional efficiency, accountability and sustainable public sector governance across Lagos State.
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