Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has declared that the appointment of Permanent Secretaries was discriminatory at the time he took over the mantle of leadership in the state.
DAILY POST reports that Makinde took over as governor of the state from the late Abiola Ajimobi in 2019.
The governor, however, stated that what he met on the ground was a situation where the appointment of Permanent Secretaries was discretionary.
Makinde made these declarations shortly after the oaths of office and allegiance were administered to the newly appointed 48 Permanent Secretaries in the state.
While addressing the gathering at the event held in his office on Monday, the governor described the occasion as historic.
He added that the process of appointing the new Permanent Secretaries was based on objectivity, merit, and free from any external interference.
Makinde took the opportunity to thank the Head of Service for handling the situation diligently.
He noted that it took his administration time to appoint Inspectors-General and Tutors-General.
Makinde further urged the new Permanent Secretaries to work hand-in-hand with his government to achieve its vision of sustainable development in the state.
He added that the appointment of Permanent Secretaries in the education and local government sectors was done to encourage and motivate those working behind the scenes and to institutionalize these sectors within the civil service.
Makinde said: “If you remember, when this administration came in, what we met on the ground was a situation where the appointment of Permanent Secretaries was discretionary. But we started a new culture when we came in. We had the exam, and we were picking from the list.
“Let me use this opportunity to thank the Head of Service for handling this situation diligently. She deserves all the accolades. You will notice that in the education sector, we took time to appoint Inspectors-General and Tutors-General.
“Our future is about how we are able to educate our children because they are the future. So, if you have people that are contributing to building our future, how do you encourage them? That is why we opened up that space to institutionalize the process whereby teachers and people in the education sector can also be compensated.
“The same applies to those in the local government sector. At the local government level, we felt that there are people also toiling day and night because it’s the closest government to the people. But every time I look through the record, I see that it is always a token for the LG. We are trying to redress that so that we can encourage the people working at that level to reach the peak of their careers as well.”
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