Renowned Permanent Secretary bows out of service in Grand styles

The Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja on Friday July 15, 2022 celebrated Sina Thorpe, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Strategy as he retires from active public service.

The ceremony was held at the Chapel of Christ the Light, Alausa Ikeja. And, reception follows at The Blue Roof, LTV8, Lateef Jakande Rd, Agidingbi, Ikeja.

The event was attended by dignitaries, public servants, families and friends.

Born into the Thorpe and Sogunro families of Lagos Island on the 17th of July 1962 at the Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, Isaac Olusina Thorpe began his primary education at the Lagos Street African Primary School in Ebute-Meta from 1968 -1973 and finished his secondary school education at Lagos African Church Grammar school, Ifako-Agege in 1978. Thereafter, he proceeded to the university of Calabar where he studied Theatre Arts from 1981-1985. He also bagged a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Relations from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism in 1993.

He started his working career in the teaching profession as a Lagos State Secondary School teacher and taught for over seven years before transferring his service to the Lagos State Civil service in 1995 as an Information Officer. Subsequently, he was deployed to head the Badagry Divisional Information Office where he diligently and successfully coordinated Information management and dissemination activities at the grassroots. Within the same period, he piloted the Miss Badagry segment of the Miss Lagos show in 1996.

His career as a Public Relations Officer (now Public Affairs Officer) has taken him to various Ministries, department, and Agencies within the Lagos State Civil service where he performed excellently. At the Ministry of Transportation, he developed and implemented communication strategies to support and propagates Government’s initiatives and vision to introduce modern means of transportation such as the Bus Rapid Transports (BRT), line and the Lagos Bus Services (LAGBUS). He was also part of a team that birthed the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASMA) among other initiatives.

He also served in the Ministry of Environment and Physical and Planning from 2000 to 2005 and made tremendous inputs to initiatives, such as the Kick Against Indiscipline (KIA), and Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) both establishment under the Ministry of The Environment. Olusina also worked in the Ministry of Health (2000-2008); State Universal Basic Education Board (2011 – 2013) and the Ministry of Work and Infrastructure (2015-2019).

In July 2019, he was appointed as Director, Public Affairs Department of the Ministry of Information and Strategy to supervise the activities of Public Affairs Officers. Within the employment of the State Government. On assumption of duty, he expanded the frontiers of news dissemination about Lagos across all Prints and Electronic channels within the state. Mr. Olusina Thorpe reach the peak of his civil service career when he was appointed, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Strategy on 28th January, 2020 by Governor Babajide Olusina Sanwo-Olu.

In the course of his career, he attended various seminars, workshops and represented the Lagos State Government as a member of the state contingent to the World Leadership award held in the United Kingdom where the state won in two categories in 2026/2007. He is a member of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and the Nigerian Union of Journalist (NUJ). He was a member of NIPR executive committee Lagos State Chapter in 1998 and the Chairman of the Lagos State Information Chapel of the NUJ in the year 2000.

While at the University of Calabar, he was the assistant secretary of the departmental association, theatre art student association in 1983 where he made tremendous input.

He also associated with the Palm wine Drinkers Club as a ‘Komrade’ during his University days. He is a devote Christian of the Methodist denomination and formally a Senior Cathedral Steward of Ereko Methodist Cathedral, Lagos. As a youth, he dedicated his services to the Methodist Youth Association as the Drama Group Coordinator and Secretary Editorial Board of the church Youth magazine: “The Torch Bearer” in 1987. He also served as the Vice Chairman of the Cathedral’s 150th Anniversary in 2019. He led Lagos State Youth Contingent to Rivers State in May 1987 on exchange programme as part of activities to mark that year’s National Youth Week.

Olushina is also a Rotarian who is passionate about humanitarian and philanthropic ventures especially in the area of Child/Youth Development. He is married, blessed with children and loves reading, music and adventure.