CDHR Flays Adeleke For Retaining HoS, Account General After Reaching Retirement Age

The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) Osun State chapter has flayed governor of the state,
Ademola Adeleke for retaining Head of Service, Mr Samuel Ayanleye Aina and the Accountant General of the State, Mr. Rasheed Olalere Alabi after reaching their retirement age.

The group also berated the governor over alleged continuous disregard of the Public Service Rule.

Expressing concern over what it described as Impunity, CDHR said Adeleke has demonstrated enough discontent for the public service rule by retaining the Head of Service, Mr Samuel Ayanleye Aina and the Accountant General of the State, Mr. Rasheed Olalere Alabi, after reaching their individual’s retirement age.

Addressing a press conference at the Osun NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel Osogbo, on Wednesday, CDHR Chairman, Comrade Emmanuel Olowu said Governor Adeleke should to tender apology to the entire Civil Servants for acting in aberration against the Public Service Rules 2011 of the State.

Olowu 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.

He however recommend that the Government should as a matter of urgency withdraw (not reduce) the three-year extension of service years given to the Head of Service.

“The tenure of the Accountant General should not be extended; and consequently, the Account General should proceed on his retirement.

“That the Governor should order all Permanent Secretaries whose retirements are less than six months and who are yet to submit their letter of retirement as stated in the Public Service Rule to commence the process immediately.

“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.

That the Governor should pronounce that whoever has reached the age of 60 or spent 35 years in service should go on retirement without further delay.

“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.
We chose to cry out loud now to caution Governor Adeleke against setting bad precedence in the public service and the history of Osun State.

“CDHR had written the House of Assembly on the 4th of March 2024 on the need to caution Governor Adeleke on the bastardization of the public service, and the need to retrace his step on the planed extension of service year of the Accountant General. But the House of Assembly decided not to act on our letter.

“We also encouraged the Osun State Chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), through a letter dated March 11, 2024, to stand up against the Governor’s impunity in a letter dated 11th March 2024.

“Members of the press, we want you to note that the Osun State Civil Service is now in free for all and in a state while nepotism and favouritism prevails over competence, extant law and the general public service rule.

“How could the Accountant-General, who was to retire on Thursday, 14th March 2024 failed to retire and other permanent Secretary who should have dropped their letter of retirement six months to their retirement age have also failed to do so because they are of the assumption that what is good for the HOS and the AG should be good for all senior cadre officers too.

“Members of the press, the act of elongation of service years is gradually becoming a norm in Osun State. We note that there is a grand conspiracy between the Executive and Legislative arms of government to collapse the public service in the bid to continue looting the state treasury.

“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
•Osun State Accountant-General Mr Rasheed Olalere Alabi

“In spite of our earlier explanation of the implication of subversion of the standard of the Osun Public Service Rule (PSR), among which are, an increase in unemployment, setting of bad precedence, creeping career progression, encouraging corrupt practices and promoting nepotism, the governor has gone ahead with impunity to retain the Accountant General in office after retirement date.

“The Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Osun State Public Service Rule (PSR) remain the instruments to challenge this impunity via all legal means, and we are going to do that. We challenge the Executive and the Legislative arms of the Osun State Government to justify the actions of Governor Ademola Adeleke on the extension of service years of the Civil Servants in the state.

“Conclusively, we like the world to know that as an organization, we will not relent and we shall fight the Governor’s aberration via all legal means, putting into consideration the effect of this act of stampede of the Public Service Rule”.