Shortly after I resumed work as PS HSC, the Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu invited all the newly appointed PSs for a roundtable meeting. We were there to receive our marching orders. After sharing his vision for a better Lagos, the governor asked each of us to submit a blueprint for our individual portfolios. Within a few days I had submitted HSC’s High Level Blueprint and had obtained the governor’s blessing. It was time to bring the blueprint to live. Execution is the difference between wishful thinking and a dream realised.

People hate and dread change and will resist it to their last breath. People rather remain in their comfort zones no matter how deplorable, energy sapping and inconvenient because change is always painful. To accept change is to acknowledge that you have been doing the wrong thing all along and this is psychologically unnerving. But if society, institutions and individuals are to move forward, grow and develop, change is inevitable.

HSC’s Vision is “To be a world class human resource agency ensuring the delivery of effective healthcare service to all people in Lagos State” and the Mission is “To develop a highly skilled and motivated workforce with right attitude towards the delivery of qualitative healthcare service.” I made it known to our people that we had to move mountains, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, and oppose any foe, in order to achieve the Vision and Mission. We either succeeded or failed. There was no middle ground.