Adeleke Responds To Osun Defender Story, Says No Intention To Extend Service Year Of Retiring Permanent Secretaries

The Osun State Government has denied plans to extend the service years of some permanent secretaries and top government officials in the state civil service.

Osun Defender had reported that there was a ripple in the state civil service, with some sources admitting that there was an ongoing plan by Governor Adeleke to extend the statutory tenure of the Accountant General of the state, Mr. Rasheed Olalere.

Olalere, who was appointed by former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola on May 21, 2022, is due for retirement on March 24, 2024, when he will be attaining the mandatory retirement age of 60 years.

However, Adeleke has reportedly concluded plans to allow Olalere to remain in the service for the next three years.

This is coming weeks after the Governor extended the tenure of the Head of Service, Mr. Ayanleye Aina, by three years on January 24, 2024, when he clocked 60 years, and was due for retirement.

OSUN DEFENDER observed that the AG’s tenure extension plan is already generating ripples and causing disaffection among the top civil servants, especially accounting officers in the service.

Findings revealed that the civil servants who are opposed to Olalere’s tenure extension have been going from one place to another to canvass reasons why the governor needs to respect the public service rules on retirement and career progression.

However, the spokesperson for the governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, while reacting to the news, said there is no intention to extend the tenure.

The spokesperson, in a statement obtained by Osun Defender on Friday, said the Governor is committed to the entrenchment of ongoing civil service reforms to ensure career progression and service satisfaction for all personnel

The statement read in part, “Governor Ademola Adeleke has not and will not approve an extension of tenure for any retiring permanent secretary. This clarification was released by Friday evening.

“The public is reminded that Governor Adeleke launched the reforms that ensured the right placement of top officials, leading to the appointment of substantive Permanent Secretaries, many of whom had lost any hope of reaching the pinnacle of their careers.

“There is therefore no plan to approve an extension of tenure for any retiring Permanent Secretary as the Governor is determined to enforce career progression in the state public service.

“Any previous extension is designed to consolidate the ongoing service reforms to ensure the entrenchment of professionalism, noting that it is not a state policy and that the few exceptions are targetted at strengthening the public service as the reform process is just a year plus.

“The Governor urges public servants to go about their normal duties as the administration will not take any decision that may be injurious to their career progression and service interests.”