KEY POINTS

• Eight new permanent secretaries have been appointed by Tinubu to fill key administrative positions.
• Diligence, innovation, commitment in service urged from new appointees.
• The appointments are also meant to bolster public sector reform and service delivery.

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of eight new permanent secretaries in the Federal Civil Service to fill existing and impending vacancies in some states and geopolitical zones.

The appointment of the secretaries is the second batch being appointed by the president after he appointed eight others in June 2024.

The appointments, made on the recommendation of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation after rigorous screening, were announced in a statement issued on Monday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.

The newly appointed permanent secretaries and their respective states are also as follows:

Abia State: Onwusoro Maduka Ihemelandu. Ndiomu Ebiogeh PhilipIdem from Bayelsa State Ebonyi State – Anuma Ogbonnaya Nlia. Ogodo Chinasa Nnam, Enugu State. Gombe State – Kalba Danjuma Usman. Usman Salihu Aminu, Kebbi State. Rivers State: Oyekunle Patience Nwakuso Nadungu Gagare is from Kaduna State.

The appointments span from the South East, South South, North East and North West geopolitical zones, a move aimed at further ensuring that the President Tinubu appointed a balance from all corners of the country.

Tinubu urged new secretaries to diligence, commitment

Taking over the keys of power, the new permanent secretaries were charged to bring commitment, diligence and innovation to their new roles. The new appointees are expected to lead as senior administrative leaders in Nigeria’s civil service and help spearhead the implementation of federal government policies for the benefit of citizens.

The appointment of Mrs Charlotte Bassey is the second major appointment of permanent secretaries under Tinubu’s administration after making past appointments from states as Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Jigawa, Ondo, Zamfara, South East and South South. These appointments are also supposed to bridge critical administrative gaps in Nigeria’s Civil Service ahead of the ongoing public sector reforms and ensuring continuity in governance.

The new appointees are expected to crucially lead on the government’s policy goals, public sector reforms, and also the successful implementation of federal government initiatives. In addition, his administration’s emphasis on innovation and diligence is the president’s cue to civil service that the era of inefficiency is over.

The new secretaries, coming from different states and also geopolitical zones, is evidence of Tinubu’s drive for inclusive governance.

Moreover the Federal Government selects individuals through a thorough review process to preserve a merit based civil service that emphasizes performance, accountability and efficiency.