Meet The New LAGOS Land Bureau Perm Sec.

• The Story Of Mr. KAMAR OWODIRAN

In the last few months, a lot has been done in the Lagos Land Bureau under the new boss, Mr Kamar Owodiran, who took over from Mr Bode Agoro, a few months back after over 2 decades in office.

Mr Kamar is one of the top government performers. He has been working with the government for a very long time. He is part and parcel of the system. No wonder he was deployed to that sensitive position in Lagos.

He’s a proven and a loyal civil servant. He is a highly innovative, hardworking and a resourceful individual, Mr. Owodiran was responsible for various initiatives that brought governance closer to the people of the State.

Meet The New LAGOS Land Bureau Perm Sec.

He began his career journey in 1997 at the Lagos State Polytechnic Isolo, now Lagos State University of Science and Technolgy, Ikorodu as an Assistant Lecturer (P/T) of Use of English and Communication Skills. In 2000, he joined the Lagos State Public Service as an Administrative Officer and has served diligently in various capacities traversing various strategic Government MDAs such as Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions, Office of the Head of Service, Public Service Office, Office of the Chief of Staff, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Transportation amongst others.

In 2005, Mr. Kamar Owodiran Olowoshago was voted the Best Officer in the Ministry of Establishments, and Training, and in 2006 he won the State Government Best Officer Award with a Commendation Letter personally signed by the former Governor of Lagos State, now President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his “High Sense of Responsibility and Dedication to Duty, Exemplary Conduct and High Productivity which has contributed to the success of Lagos State Civil Service.”

In 2008, he was appointed by the former Governor of Lagos State and erstwhile Minister of Works and Housing , Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) as a member of the ‘Project Wheel Team’, a group of selected Civil Servants that worked with the world renowned Messrs. Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) under the Chairmanship of the then Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions and now Governor of Lagos State Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwolu, that fashioned out a strategic Management framework being deployed by the State in Managing the Public Service of Lagos State.

In 2010, he was also selected by a former Head of Service, Mr. Adesegun Ogunlewe to work with DFID, an International Agency on the State Partnership for Accountability Responsiveness and Capability (SPARC) that fashioned out a Public Service Management (PSM) framework for the State Public Service.

He rose through the ranks to become the Director (Planning) in the Governor’s Office and Director (Home Affairs) in the Ministry of Home Affairs a position he held until his appointment as a Permanent Secretary in Lagos State Civil Service in February, 2021. He was then deployed to the State Ministry of Transportation where he was until September 2022. He was also a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Housing between October 2022 and September 2023. Presently, he is the Permanent Secretary of Lands Bureau, Governor’s Office, Lagos State.

Within a few months as PS Land Bureau, he has changed many things. Shortly after he arrived office, through him the Lagos State government launched a portal where Lagos residents can apply for CofO.

According to Sanwo-Olu, at the launch of the e-GIS portal, the system will remove the “unnecessary cost applicants waste on several layers of the process”. He said further that,  everything will be digitally available. Moreover, the introduction of this process will foster collaboration among agencies. I think that’s also an important, deliverable”. The new PS (Mr. Owodiran) has a robust relationship with the Lagos developers and he has assured them that he will help to remove some of the bottlenecks in the sector.

Kamar Owodiran Olowoshago was born to the prestigious family of late Alhaji (Chief) Abdul-Hameed ArowoloDawodu-Olowoshago (Arowolo bi Oyinbo) the Baba Adeen of Ikorodu and its environs and Alhaja (Chief) Halimat –Ul-ShadiahDawodu-Olowoshago (Nee Yusuf Mosenne) the first OloriGiwa – Giwa (Obinrin) of Ikorodu Central Mosque and AsiwajuAdinni of Aga Mosque, Ikorodu.

Mr Kamar Owodiran had his Primary Education at All Saints Private Schools, Ikorodu from 1974 – 1979. Young Olowoshago sat for the Common Entrance Examination in 1979 and was the 3rd Best Student in the State. He thereafter proceeded to the Premier College in Ikorodu Division, Oriwu College, Ikorodu for his Secondary Education between 1980 and 1985. He attended Igbobi College, Lagos, for his Higher School Certificate (A’Levels) between 1986 and 1988.

–Isaac Abimbade

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