Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Tuesday swore in four newly appointed permanent secretaries to fill vacancies in the state’s top civil service cadre, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to merit, fairness and inclusiveness in public service appointments.
The governor, who spoke at the swearing-in ceremony held at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, said the appointments followed a transparent and competitive process designed to strengthen the leadership of the state civil service while ensuring equitable representation across Oyo State.
Speaking shortly after the appointees took their oaths of allegiance and office, Makinde said his administration would remain focused on governance and service delivery until its last day in office and would not abandon its responsibilities for politics.
According to a statement issued in Ibadan by his Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olarenwaju, the governor said, “When I said to the people of Oyo State that we will serve them until the last moment of the last day, this is exactly what we’re talking about. We won’t, because we’re campaigning all over the place, forget our responsibilities to the people of Oyo State.”
The governor explained that the selection process was based on a competitive examination, with 80 per cent of the appointments determined by merit and the remaining 20 per cent reserved for balancing considerations to ensure equity, inclusiveness and fair representation across the state.
According to him, “The process that produced the new permanent secretaries was fair and transparent.
“I can say boldly that the process of your becoming permanent secretaries has been fair. After taking 80 per cent based on merit, there is 20 per cent that we always use to balance things out.”
Makinde recalled that when he assumed office in 2019, there was no permanent secretary from the Ibarapa Zone, a situation his administration moved swiftly to address to ensure equitable representation across the state.
He noted that his administration was deliberate about ensuring that no zone was excluded from representation at the highest level of the civil service, stressing that the state’s common wealth belonged to all its people.
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The governor further stated that the appointments were not influenced by personal sentiments, political considerations or external pressures but were made through a fair and transparent process designed to ensure that the leadership of the civil service reflected the diversity of Oyo State.
He added that his administration remained conscious of the need to make decisions for which it would one day be accountable to God and the people.
Makinde charged the newly appointed permanent secretaries to uphold their oaths of office by being fair and just in all their dealings and discharging their duties with diligence, integrity and professionalism.
He said, “You have taken an oath to be fair and just to all the people you interact with and in all the files that will pass through your tables. I give you the assurance that until the last day I leave this seat, we will give you all the support that you require to do your work effectively.”
The governor reiterated that the appointees had earned their positions through merit and due process, having successfully completed the prescribed requirements, including the qualifying examination.
Makinde said his administration would be remembered for appointing the highest number of permanent secretaries through a competitive examination process. He also disclosed that another examination would be conducted before the end of his tenure, with the incoming administration expected to act on the outcome.
“I will conduct another examination before I leave office and leave the outcome on the table for the incoming administration. On behalf of all of us, we congratulate you and wish you the very best in your new roles. We also ask for God’s guidance as you assume these new positions,” he said.
The event was attended by the Deputy Governor, Bayo Lawal; the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin; former Speaker of the House, Monsurat Sunmonu; the President of the Oyo State Customary Court of Appeal, Justice T. M. Abdulganiyu; and the Secretary to the State Government, Musibau Babatunde.
Others included the Chief of Staff, Akinwole Akinwale; the Head of Service, Adenike Fashina; the immediate past Head of Service, Olubunmi Oni; the Deputy Chief of Staff, Kazeem Adeniyi; the Alliance People’s Movement Deputy Governorship Candidate, Mufutau Open-Salawu; commissioners; the Senior Executive Assistant to the Governor on General Duties; the Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria in the state, Sikiru Sanda; permanent secretaries; labour union leaders; religious leaders and other stakeholders.
