By Henry Ojelu

LAGOS — Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro, SAN, has urged junior officers in the state Ministry of Justice to embrace integrity, professionalism and teamwork, stressing that effective justice delivery is a collective responsibility.


Pedro gave the charge on Tuesday in Ikeja at the opening of a two-day Junior Officers’ Workshop organised by the ministry with the theme, “From Potential to Performance: Empowering Junior Officers for Excellence in Service Delivery.”


He said the workshop was designed to strengthen the capacity of non-lawyer staff whose contributions were vital to the effective functioning of the ministry.


According to him, the Ministry of Justice was not made up of lawyers alone, as legal officers depended on professionals in administration, finance, accounts, human resources, information technology, records, library services, procurement, registry, research and public relations.


“Every officer has a role to play as the quality of your work contributes directly or indirectly to the effectiveness of the ministry,” Pedro said.


The Attorney-General urged the officers to uphold integrity, noting that as public servants, they occupied positions of trust and were expected to handle government resources and information with honesty, transparency and accountability.


He also stressed the importance of teamwork, warning that a delay in one unit could affect the performance of an entire department and ultimately impact service delivery to the public.


Pedro said the workshop would expose the participants to issues relating to competence and productivity, office etiquette, communication and emotional intelligence, professionalism, ethics and integrity.


He added that sessions on health, wellbeing and career growth in the Lagos State Public Service would also be held.
The Attorney-General urged the officers to participate actively, ask questions and apply the knowledge gained to their respective departments.
“The objective is not merely to acquire knowledge, but to see that the knowledge reflects in improved performance and better service delivery,” he said.


Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary and Solicitor-General of the ministry, Mr Hameed Oyenuga, described the junior officers as the future workforce of the Ministry of Justice.


Oyenuga urged them to translate their potential into performance by being responsible, professional and dedicated to their duties.


“Potential is only the beginning. It must be translated to performance.


“The quality of your work matters because your duties contribute directly to the effective administration of justice,” he said.


He stressed the need for the officers to respect deadlines, maintain confidentiality and uphold integrity in their dealings with colleagues and members of the public.


Oyenuga also encouraged them to take ownership of their professional development by asking questions, seeking mentors and learning from experienced colleagues.


Similarly, the Permanent Secretary, Citizens’ Mediation Bureau, CMB, Mrs Aderinsola Olarewaju, urged the participants to recognise the importance of their individual roles in the success of the ministry.


Olarewaju likened the work of support staff to a chain, stressing that a break in one link could affect the entire system.


“Indeed, the work of the support staff is like a chain. If a chain is broken somewhere, then the essence of the whole thing is destroyed.


“See yourself as the chain and the link to the success of what you have to achieve in working,” she said.
She reminded the officers that their conduct reflected on the Ministry of Justice, urging them to maintain professionalism in their dealings with colleagues and members of the public.


Olarewaju urged the participants to take the workshop seriously and ensure that they returned to their departments with knowledge that would improve their performance.
The workshop featured sessions on professionalism, ethics and integrity, health and wellness, career development in the Lagos State Civil Service, as well as question-and-answer, reflection, feedback and interaction sessions.