Generally considered to be the most critical success or failure factors in public administration, the postings of the Perm Secs is in conjunction with the new Head of Service, Ebele Okeke. The last time the exercise was done was on January 23 this year when former President Olusegun Obasanjo approved the deployment of 41 Permanent Secretaries as recommended by the then Head of Service, Alhaji Mahmud Yayale Ahmed (now Defence Minister).
Apprehension mounted last week, as nine new permanent secretaries appointed two weeks ago were sworn-in by the President.
The nine new permanent secretaries are S.A.U Osuagwu (Abia), Dr. M.A.N Ejiofor (Anambra), Mrs. T.O Iroche (Ekiti), Dr. A.K Mohammed (Kwara), Alhaji Idris Adamu Kuta (Niger), Dr. W.A Thorpe (Ogun), Dr. A.S Adegoroye (Ondo), Mrs. E.G Gonda (Plateau) and Mr. Yakubu Nuhu Giwa (Taraba).
The officers emerged after a tough, three-hour written test and oral interview participated in by about 70 candidates selected to fill the vacancies created by the retirement of some permanent secretaries, who represented the nine States.
These included the now Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, who was a permanent secretary representing the State and the current Head of Service, Okeke.
Unusually, no posting was released before last week ran out, as even the Head of Information in the Head of Service's Office, Malam Yusuf Addy said on telephone that there had been no word on posting of the secretaries.
Some ministers prefer certain permanent secretaries to work with and they lobby for posting of their preferences to facilitate their service delivery.
Past Heads of Service had quietly assisted by posting out some permanent secretaries that ministers had complained about.
Complaints were sometimes due to some permanent secretaries' strict compliance with financial instructions, a development some ministers do not take kindly to.
Meanwhile, as part of efforts to correct perceived irregularities in the last administration, President Yar'Adua last month approved the reinstatement of two of the three permanent secretaries compulsorily retired in the dying days of President Obasanjo's administration.
The beneficiaries are Dr (Mrs.) T. Koripamo Agary, (Bayelsa) and Mr. S.D Matankari (Sokoto).
Another indication emerged that the President has approved that a permanent secretary be posted to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).
The last perm sec was posted out in 2004 when the Ministry of the FCT was scrapped.
It was believed either the permanent secretary in charge of Commerce and Industry, Dr R.O Ogunbambi or the reinstated Agary would be posted to the FCT.
It was not clear last night whether Dr Goke Adegoroye will be retained in the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) where he had been Director-General since inception in 2004.
He was among the nine permanent secretaries sworn in last Wednesday.
Also unclear was whether the President would approve the relocation of the State House permanent secretary, Mr. Steve Oronsaye, who was recruited by the former President as Principal Secretary but became permanent secretary in 2001 without the required civil service background.
There has been intense lobby for his (Oronsaye's) influential position as principal secretary/permanent secretary at the State House.
Permanent secretaries are the chief accounting officers of the ministries, departments and agencies, (MDAs). Besides, they are the major policy advisers to the ministers and heads of extra-ministerial departments.
They are so powerful that they can define the tempo of even political activities of the ministers, as they can withhold approval to funds' release if they are not convinced that applications for such conform to financial instructions as documented.
Reports said that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Babagana Kingibe, is considering a reshuffle of the six permanent secretaries in his office. They are for Political Affairs, General Services Office, Cabinet Secretariat, Economic Affairs Office, Special Services Office and Special Duties.
The President had promised to look into the quirky classification of permanent secretaries as political office holders.
FROM MARTINS OLOJA (ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF)
The Guardian
Sunday, September 2, 2007
