Head Of Service: COE Warns Gov Ademola Adeleke Against Tenure Extension, Issues List Of Demands 

A group, the Osun Concerned Elites (COE), has warned Governor Ademola Adeleke not to extend the tenure of the state Head of Service, Mr. Samuel Ayanleye Aina warning that doing such will be inimical to the state’s interests.

The group has also called on the living  founding fathers of the state, traditional rulers ,labour unions and other stakeholders to get involved and ensure that things are done right with respect to the handling of matters that have to do with the state civil service while alleging that the Governor  Adeleke administration has continued to violate  the extant law that guides the civil service.

The group also noted that what may be refered to as a precedent had actually featured a different scenario.

‘Setting the record straight, before supporters and those in the government will call for our head, the current Head of Service(HOS), Mr Samuel Ayanleye Aina, was the the Acting HOS when Barrister Olowogboyega Festus Oyebade, retired at the age of 60.  The then Governor Oyetola had kept Olowogboyega in the service for his political strategy despite being officially retired as HOS. 

It’s important  to also note that no HOS has ever requested or  granted an extension of service in Osun state because it is an aberration. It’s the truth and anyone can verify  this fact because records are in the public domain’ the group submitted in a statement made available to Team@orientactualmags.com on Tuesday night by its Convener, Mr Adekanola Desmond. 

COE also submitted that the civil service plays an important role in the  growth and development of a country and the sub-nationals  hence the need to attach importance to matters that have to do with it.

‘Since the creation of Osun state, the state Public Service has produced the finest and world acclaimed professionals and technocrats who have in unquantifiable ways, contributed to the development of this state. 

In spite of its imperfection as a human organization, the inevitability of the existence of public service is such that it is guaranteed by Section 169 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and consequently, no government can function without the Public Service, which is the main machinery of executing government policies, programmes or law and order’ the group  said.

The statement also alleged that  the Governor Ademola Adeleke administration has been ‘synonymous’ with tenure extensions.

‘The term tenure elongation was unheard of until the advent of the current Adeleke administration. Tenure elongation to a career public servant, is a dreaded term which refers to the extension of the period of service (at the pleasure of a governor) of a permanent secretary of a ministry or the chief executive of a parastatal or head of extra ministerial department beyond his or her mandatory retirement period from the public service. 

Until the advent of  the Adeleke government, tenure elongation for career officers was unheard of in the state civil service .It is therefore pertinent to highlight some grey areas; That all career appointments from junior cadres to directorate cadres (GL 01 – 17) to the public service, are in accordance with the Public Service Rules (PSR); regulations and other extant rules as approved by the authority of the State Civil Service Commission or exercised on its behalf.

Consequently, any career appointment must terminate on reaching the maximum of 35 years of service or on reaching 60 years of age, whichever comes first. In accordance with item Rule No. 020810 (i) and (ii) of the Public Service Rules (PSR) (2008),

‘The compulsory retirement age for all grades in the service shall be 60 years or 35 years in pensionable service, whichever is earlier. No officer shall be allowed to remain in service after attaining the retirement age of 60 years or 35 years of pensionable service, whichever is earlier.

However,  the power to appoint career officers to the top leadership positions in ministries, extra-ministerial departments, parastatals is vested in the governor in consultation with the State Public Service Commission in line with the provisions of Section 171, Subsection 2(d) of the 1999 Federal Constitution of Nigeria (as amended).

This  provision was ostensibly  meant to prevent the politicization of the public service and guarantee its neutrality and at the same time ensuring its loyalty and commitment to the policies of the government of the day.

It is also pertinent to further highlight that as part of the ethics of the public service that strives to maintain its neutrality and its esprit de corps, is its insistence on a tradition of avoiding the creation of an unjustified or unmerited precedence that could spur tensions and petitions from aggrieved officers.

Having highlighted the foregoing, it is very apparent that there is no justification for Governor Ademola Adeleke to flagrantly compromise the laid down rules by resorting to elongating the period of retiring Head of Service and the Accountant General on reaching 60 years of age respectively.

As concerned citizens, we could not easily fail to observe the adverse effects generated by tenure elongation on the public service which are not far-fetched! It is an injustice to the public service as it will jettison the hierarchical seniority principle thereby compromising the enforcement of discipline in the service. Parts of the problems it can potentially generate includes;

1. Creation of stagnation and stifling of career progression of the rank and file in the public service; It kills morale of career officers and by implications, dampens initiative, generation of positive ideas and productivity;

2.  It will lead to politicization of the public service as the beneficiaries will be too willing to compromise the ethical code of conduct of the public service and thus, dance to the tune of their godfathers. 

3. It will entrench corruption or corrupt tendencies as it gives a licence to the beneficiaries to engage in outright criminal activities such as budget padding or fake virement of funds to guarantee himself/herself a ‘safe landing’.

4. Many young graduates will continue to be jobless since those who ought to have gone on retirement have  stayed put.

A serious governor needs a reinvigorated and a reinvented vibrant machinery of government that will fast-track the attainment of its objectives devoid of the usual red-tapism and all the self-serving tendencies’ the group submitted while adding that there are plans to also extend the tenure of the state Accountant General. 

‘Why we are still battling with the extension of year of service of the HOS, the state government is equally planning to extend the tenure of  Mr Rashidi Alabi Olalere, the outgoing Accountant General of Osun state.

 His  service year will end on Thursday,14th March, 2024, after  attaining   60 years of  age.

Extending the  tenure of the  Accountant General will make many public officers  become insincere and uncommitted . Top and lower level Public Officers will engage in leaking  of government information.

The Accountant-General may want to adopt the same strategy introduced  by the HOS by hiring his community leaders to demand that he should continue in service beyond the time provided for in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended)’ the group added while also issuing its list of demands.

‘As stakeholders, we must therefore, look the other way or show indifference , Osun is our collective patrimony. We must rise up to the occasion. Therefore, as Concerned citizens, we recommend the following policy actions/solutions:

Governor Adeleke should announce the discontinuation and place total ban on tenure elongation policy in the Osun Public Service;

All civil servants who have had their tenure elongated must resign immediately and go home;

Any officer or Chief Executive who have enjoyed tenure elongation beyond the compulsory  retirement period, must be surcharged or directed to refund all salaries, allowances and other retirement benefits;

The Office of the Head of Service of the State and the Osun State Civil Service Commission should be overhauled and reinvigorated with men of proven records of positive accomplishments and unassailable integrity, who could tell the truth to power.

Governor Ademola Adeleke should serve the state’s interests by adopting a deliberate policy of non-interference in the day-to-day operations of the regulatory organs of the public service;

Whistleblowers in the public service must be protected against victimization and be honoured publicly’  COE submitted-Team@orientactualmags.com  Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980. Thank you