BY PATRICK MGBODO
DELTA State Head of Service, Dr. (Mrs.) Mininim Oseji, has disclosed plans to honour permanent secretaries who have recently retired or are about to retire from the state civil service.
The Head of Service disclosed this when the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mrs Angalare Arthur Prest Umukoro, paid her a customary valedictory visit ahead of her retirement.
Describing the gesture as a practice that dignified the topmost echelon of the civil service, Dr Oseji said plans were underway for a luncheon in honour of permanent secretaries retiring between August and September 2025.
‘’We have four permanent secretaries who are retiring between August and September since my tenure. The last one will be the Permanent Secretary (Ministry of Housing), who will be retiring on September 22. After his courtesy visit to the Head of Service, we will have a joint luncheon. ‘’The next on the line is the Permanent Secretary (Office of the Head of Service) who will be retiring on September 12’’ Dr Oseji said, adding that the luncheon, organised by the Office of the Head of Service, is different from the plans of the welfare committee of the College of Permanent Secretaries.
‘’We will be sending our memo to the Governor for a combined send forth for about 25 permanent secretaries, which will be in December. Then, we also have the one for the chief registrars; all those who have served as chief registrars. That one will be in October, subject to approval.
‘’I just want you to be aware that we are on top of our game in all these issues that our permanent secretaries, whatever they deserve as they are leaving (the service), they should receive it and leave honourably’’ the Head of Service said. While congratulating Mrs Prest Umukoro on her retirement, the Head of Service likened her administrative skills and competencies to legends in the service, such as the immediate past Head of Service, Mr Reginald Bayoko, among others.
Earlier, Mrs PrestUmukoro thanked God for his mercies and benevolence throughout her career in the civil service, which started on October 22, 1990, from the then Bendel State Civil Service Commission.
Offering useful advice, Mrs Prest Umukoro charged officers to always differentiate between corporate interests and personal interests, urging them not to dwell on their challenges but to see them as steps to greater heights.
