Labour flays extension of Perm Sec’s tenure

Civil servants in the country, under the aegis of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), have expressed shock at the one-year extension of tenure of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Jamila Shu’ara, by the Federal Government.

In a press statement issued on Tuesday, ASCSN’s National President, Bobboi Bala Kaigama and the Secretary-General, Alade Bashir Lawal, opined that the extension of tenure of the permanent secretary violates the public service rules (PSR) 020810, which states that: ‘‘the compulsory retirement age for grades in the service shall be 50 years or 35 years pensionable service whichever is earlier.”

Besides, it recalled that recently, some permanent secretaries were retired on the ground that they were not good enough, ‘‘yet, Mrs. Shu’ara who was supposed to retire with them had her tenure extended by one year.”

‘‘The fact of the matter is that the permanent secretary concerned is neither a petroleum engineer nor expert in energy matters. So what qualifies her for this notorious extension,” the union wondered.

Visibly piqued by the development, ASCSN alleged that the culture of impunity that characterized the federal administration since 1999 had re-emerged in full force and had become even more brazen.

‘‘This woman is 60 years of age. She should therefore go. This extension is offensive, vexatious and unacceptable.

‘‘In the interest of industrial peace and harmony in the civil/public service, this woman should be eased out of the system unless those behind this extension have a hidden agenda somewhere,” the union emphasized.

According to the ASCSN, if this tenure extension is not reversed, the 36 states governments might be tempted to follow the footsteps of the federal government on this ill-advised policy and when that happens, the entire civil services in the country would be thrown into anarchy.

It added that the perm sec should be disengaged from service since she had attained retirement age to create room for other permanent secretaries who are floating in the system.

Besides, it said if Shu’ara is indispensable to the Presidency, then, Mr. President has the prerogative to appoint her as his special adviser or even a minister of the federal republic instead of subverting the cherished norms and values of the civil service.