Two Permanent Secretaries Emerge As Top Contenders For Head Of Service Position
As the tenure of the current Head of the Service of the Federation (HoSCF), Mrs. Folashade Yemi-Esan, draws to a close, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to appoint her successor. Yemi-Esan, who was born on August 13, 1964, is due to retire next month upon reaching the retirement age of 60.
According to a LEADERSHIP report, two permanent secretaries, Ambassador Gabriel Aduda from the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, and Olusesan Adebiyi from the State House, have emerged as the top contenders for the position. A panel established by the Presidency to screen the applicants has reportedly recommended Aduda and Adebiyi to President Tinubu for consideration.
Sources within the Presidency have revealed that President Tinubu is expected to make his decision public soon. The President holds the prerogative to choose between the two recommended candidates or even look beyond them.
Ambassador Gabriel Aduda, the most senior and youngest permanent secretary in the federal civil service, has served in various ministries and is currently the governor of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Nigeria. Olusesan Adebiyi, on the other hand, was recently redeployed to the State House on the orders of President Tinubu.
The race for the top civil service job has allegedly caused disaffection among some key aides to the President, as they root for their preferred candidates. It has also been reported that President Tinubu rejected Yemi-Esan’s request for a tenure extension and her attempt to back a specific permanent secretary as her successor.
