_Presidential Lodge, Hill Station, Freetown, Friday 19 July 2024 -_* His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has presided over the oath-taking ceremony of the new Secretary to the President, Dr Emmanuel Gaima, expressing hope and confidence that he will bring his extensive expertise on matters of governance to bear on the tasks and demands of his new role.

He also bade farewell to the outgoing Secretary to the President, Dr Julius Sandy, and thanked him for his years of invaluable service and support to the presidency and wished him well in his new assignment as the country’s High Commissioner to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

President Bio acknowledged that the office of the Secretary to the President was no mean task although the buck would always stop with him as the head of state, emphasising that the work with the President was a huge undertaking and a weighty task that required a lot of attitudes.

The President called on Dr Gaima to be aware of the fact that there was a lot to learn from his p
redecessor, expressing his eagerness for a seamless synergy between the former and present secretaries.

He also assured his new aide of his presidential support to work and to have a conducive working environment, while wishing him well during his tenure. He reminded him that he was an adviser and that if he did his job well, he would remain a standout. He congratulated Dr Sandy for being a pillar of support for his administration, even before he came into office.

‘Don’t hesitate to call me. We would have missed you dearly. I know you will be proud of what we are doing, and I have confidence that you will always call back when things are not going well. Thanks. I wish you well. You are not going to retire. Thanks for everything, and I so appreciate you for everything,’ President Bio said to the former Secretary to the President.

In his remarks, Secretary to the President, Dr Emmanuel Gaima, thanked President Bio for making him, his family, and his career so significant in five short years, from his former
role as Presidential Governance Adviser to his recent appointment as Secretary to the President.

He also thanked the President for the opportunity to serve in the present capacity, pointing out that, on behalf of his family, friends, people, and in-laws, he was sincerely grateful to the President.

He said he was aware of the challenges in the office of the Secretary to the President but assured the President and the gathering that based on his experience at State House in the last five years and God be his helper, he was optimistic that he would make his own contributions to serve judiciously.

Dr Gaima also assured President Bio of his commitment to continuity and to focusing on delivery, reaffirming that his decision would be to position himself not in the administration but with a technographic personality that would bridge the gap between administration and delivery.

Source: Sierra Leone News Agency