No fewer than 40 directors failed the qualifying examination for appointment to the position of permanent secretaries.
The examination was scheduled for May 27, 2024, and 92 directors were on the list to take it.
According to the exam results, three directors were absent, and one director was unable to finish the test, meaning that forty directors received a score below 50%, indicating failure.
A May 28, 2024, memo by the Office of the Head of Service tagged, “HCSF/ CMO/ AOD/012/IX/59’ noted that the next test would be an ICT-based test.
According to a PUNCH report, the Federal Government had earlier announced the start of the process for the appointment of new permanent secretaries to fill current and upcoming vacancies for the states of Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Ondo, Zamfara, and the South-East and South-South zones. This announcement was made through the Office of the Head of Civil Service.
The Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Folashade Yemi-Esan, disclosed this in a circular addressed to the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, among others.
In the memo, which she personally signed, Yemi-Esan noted that only directors who attained the position of substantive director on or before January 1, 2022, would be considered in 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, Ebony, 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.
“Consequently, the mainstream Federal Civil Service officers who meet the following conditions are eligible to participate in the exercise.”
In the memo, the requirements were as follows: candidates had to be from the states or geopolitical zones mentioned in paragraph one above, “have updated their records on the IPPIS Verification Portal; have attained the position of substantive Director on Salary Grade Level 17 on or before January 1, 2022,” and “are not retiring from service earlier than December 31, 2025.”
The memo also stated that officers undergoing disciplinary procedures were excluded from the exercise.
