Extension of service year: Group accuses Gov. Adeleke, legislative arms of conspiracy to collapse public service
By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo
A human rights group, the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), has accused Governor Ademola Adeleke and legislative arm of government in Osun State of a grand conspiracy to collapse the public service in the State.
The chairman of CDHR in the State, Comrade Emmanuel Olowu, while addressing a press conference at NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel on Wednesday, in Osogbo, flayed the Governor for retaining Head of Service, Mr Samuel Ayanleye Aina and the Accountant’s General of the State, Mr. Rasheed Olalere Alabi after reaching their retirement age.
Olowu noted that the Governor does not have the constitutional power to elongate the tenure of any civil servant, saying the idea of extending the service year of retiring public officers is a stampede of the Public Service Rule 020810.
He said, “While Governor Adeleke approved the extension of the service year of the Head of Service via a letter signed by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Alhaji Kazeem Akinleye on 04/12/2023, we have it on good authority that the Governor has also decided to retain the Accountant General.
“We used the word retain putting into consideration the fact that the Accountant General who was to retire on March 14, 2024 has remained in office and continued to perform the AG’s duty, even when there is no approval for his extension of service yet. The Accountant-General is still in the office after retirement.
“The Governor has been acting with impunity; and the House of Assembly is also an accomplice in disregarding the Osun Public Service Rule 2011.
“Governor Adeleke should instruct the office of the Head of Service to put his words into mediums of communication within civil service as a letter to deny any plan to extend the year of service of the retiring Permanent Secretaries, including Accountant General, Auditor Generals, Surveyor General, Statistician General and the likes.
“The beneficiaries of the Governor’s impunity are; Executive Secretary Mr Salawu Olatiloye of the Natural and Mineral Resources, Osun State Head of Service Mr Samuel Ayanleye Aina and Osun State Accountant-General Mr Rasheed Olalere Alabi.”
Reacting, the spokesperson to the Governor, Mallam Olawale Rasheed, stated that the Governor has for strategic public interest and within his constitutional powers extended the tenure of offices of both the Head of Service and the State’s Accountant General.
Olawale emphasised that the Governor has not extended the tenure of any permanent secretary.
He said, “Governor Ademola Adeleke is a state leader who is committed to the observance of service rules and the constitution of the federal republic, who governs with eye on public interest and who remains ever committed to ongoing reform of the public service and the sanitisation of the state’s financial management system.
“It is elementary in law and governance that the constitution is the ground norm which supercedes any state rules or regulations. That constitution empowers the state governor to appoint into top public service office alongside attendant powers.
“Mr Governor on assumption of office launched public service and financial management reform. The reforms are spearheaded by both Mr Ayanleye Aina (Head of Service) and Rasheed Olalere ( Accountant General). The reforms ensure emergence of permanent secretaries, right placement of personnel, promotion and integrity in state financial system The Governor for strategic public interest and within his constitutional powers extended the tenure of offices of both the Head of Service and the State’s Accountant General.
“Governor Adeleke was not the first Governor in Osun state to extend tenure of a serving appointees. In the last 13 years, Governors extended tenures of permanent secretaries, Head of Services, Accountant Generals among others. The precedent exists already.
“We however want to reiterate that the Governor has not extended the tenure of any permanent secretary. The Governor had earlier declared that extension of service is not a policy but an instrument to meet subsisting needs of the state leadership.”
