President Buhari Approves Oyo-Ita’s Retirement, Appoints Head Of Civil Service

President Buhari Approves Oyo-Ita’s Retirement, Appoints Head Of Civil Service

Months after sacking her amidst alleged corruption, President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the retirement of former head of civil service, Winifred Oyo-Ita.

Ms Oya-Ita, whose early retirement request was initially rejected by the president, had at first been directed to proceed on an indefinite leave to allow the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to conclude its investigation into alleged mismanagement in her office.

Ms Oyo-Ita has denied any wrongdoing.

After Mrs Oyo-Ita’s removal on September 18, 2019, Folashade Yemi-Esan was appointed acting head of service.

Mr Buhari has now approved Folasade Yemi-Esan as the substantive head of the civil service of the federation with effect from Friday.

Mrs Yemi-Esan, a dental surgeon, was appointed a federal permanent secretary in 2012. She has at various times served in the office she now heads, federal ministries of information, education and petroleum resources.

According to a statement signed by Olusegun Adekunle, permanent secretary in the Office of the Secretary to the Government, the president charged the new head to “bring her wealth of experience to bear in the new position so that government could deliver on the priority areas of development already outlined.”

She was also urged to make the stabilisation of the federal civil service topmost on her agenda.

Meanwhile, the statement said investigations into the allegation against the former head, Mrs Oyo-Ita, would not be halted.

“The retirement (of Ms Oya-Ita) would be without prejudice to the ongoing investigations into certain allegations against the immediate past Head of the Civil Service of the Federation,” the statement said.