No fewer than 40 directors have failed the qualifying examination for appointment to the position of permanent secretaries, The PUNCH reports.
Out of 92 directors who were listed to take the exam on May 27, 2024, 40 scored below 50 percent, indicating failure.
Three directors were absent, and one could not complete the exam, according to the results obtained by our The Punch in Abuja.
A May 28, 2024 memo from the Office of the Head of Service, tagged “HCSF/CMO/AOD/012/IX/59,” noted that the next test will be an ICT-based assessment.
The Federal Government, through the Office of the Head of Civil Service, had previously announced the commencement of the process for appointing new permanent secretaries to fill existing and impending vacancies for Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Ondo, Zamfara states, and the South-East and South-South zones.
Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Folashade Yemi-Esan, disclosed this in a circular addressed to key government officials, including the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
In the memo, Yemi-Esan emphasized that only directors who attained the position of substantive director on or before January 1, 2022, would be considered for the process.
The circular, dated April 19, 2024, and tagged “HCSF/CMO/AOD/012/IX/24,” read: “Following the approval of Mr. President, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation is commencing the process of the appointment of Permanent Secretaries in the Federal Civil Service in respect of existing and impending vacancies for Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Ondo, Zamfara States, South-East and South-South geo-political Zones, whose Permanent Secretaries have retired or will retire between April and September, 2024.”
The memo outlined the qualifications for candidates, stating they must “have attained the position of substantive Director on Salary Grade Level 17 on or before 1st January, 2022; have updated their records on the IPPIS Verification Portal; are from the states or geopolitical zones listed in paragraph one above; and are not retiring from service earlier than 31st December 2025.”
It also specified that officers undergoing disciplinary procedures were excluded from the exercise.
