Mr Ayo Gbeleyi was today sworn in as Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State after his confirmation by the Lagos State House of Assembly on Friday. Gbeleye was until his appointment today Special Adviser to the Governor on Public -Private Partnerships.
His elevation followed the acceptance of the resignation of the former Finance Commissioner, Mr Tokunbo Abiru who had been appointed as Executive Director of First Bank of Nigeria Plc.
Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola who spoke at the Executive Council who spoke after the swearing in ceremony congratulated the appointee and appealed to his spouse for greater understanding, support and protection because there would probably be longer hours at work for the new Commissioner. In an interview with newsmen after the swearing in, Mr Ayo Gbeleyi described his new appointment as a higher level of service to the people of Lagos expressing his appreciation to the governor for his kind gesture of reposing more confidence in him.
On what to expect in terms of the financial status of Lagos with his new appointment, Mr Gbeleyi said he would continue to build strongly on the successes of all his predecessors in office who have worked relentlessly and tirelessly to bring the financial status and profile of Lagos State to its current level.
“We would strive as much as possible to break new grounds in terms of financial sustainability of Lagos State for the overall economic wellbeing of the residents of the State”, he asserted.
Mr Ayo Gbeleyi attended the Muslim Teachers’ College, Surulere, Lagos after which he proceeded to the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi and the Lagos State Polytechnic where he obtained his National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in Accountancy in 1985 and 1988 respectively.
He also attended the IESE Business School, University of Navarra, Barcelona, Spain for the Executive Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and is a proven project and infrastructure expert.
The new Commissioner is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, member, Financial System Strategy 2020, member, NIBOR Committee and former Chairman, Audit Committee, Money Market Association.
He was appointed as Director General of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Office in December 2008 and was elevated in July 2011 to the post of Special Adviser to His Excellency on PPP. Gbeleyi who has had a distinguished career spanning a decade in top positions in the banking sector has also played a leading role in the telecoms industry. He is happily married with children.
