By Our Correspondent
A group of concerned civil servants in Ondo State have called on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to investigate what they describe as “disturbing acts of nepotism and disregard for long-standing civil service conventions” under the current Head of Service (HOS), Mr. Bayo Philip.
In a strongly worded petition, the group alleged that the Office of Service Matters — traditionally headed by a Permanent Secretary in line with the civil service hierarchy — is now being run by a Director, Mr. Tópé Lebile, who they claim is a kinsman of the HOS.
“This is an absurdity that turns acceptable rules, concepts, and conventions on their head,” the petition stated.
However, Reacting, the Head of Service, through his spokesman, Sina Adeyeye, dismissed the allegations as laughable.
> “This is laughable. There is no abnormality in the current arrangement at the Service Matters Department.
“The Civil Service is an institution that runs with extant rules that are, most of the time, not known to those who are not conversant with them. It will be wiser if the writer seeks clarifications on such matters.
“To save time dissipating energy on wobbled allegations like this, the writer should point out which part of the rules has been flouted and needs to be corrected,” Adeyeye said.
The civil servants further alleged that when the Director proceeded on a one-year study leave at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, the HOS refused to appoint a Permanent Secretary to fill the gap, opting instead to place an Assistant Director in acting capacity until Mr. Lebile returned.
“There is no law against an HOS working with someone from his town, but refusing to fill a critical leadership position for a whole year, simply because the substantive officer is your kinsman, smacks of nepotism,” the petition read.
They warned that such actions could undermine the efficiency and morale of the civil service, describing the current state of affairs as “a Pandora’s Box situation” and likening the HOS’s style to “Nebuchadnezzar-like authority.”
The petitioners urged Governor Aiyedatiwa to “pay urgent attention to the disturbing developments in the civil service” if he intends to successfully deliver on his “OUR EASE” Seven-Point Developmental Agenda.
“For the Governor to achieve his campaign promises, he needs not just more revenue, but also a civil service that is well-managed, properly coordinated, and appropriately motivated,” they concluded.
