The Deputy Executive Secretary (DES), Administration, of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Chris Maiyaki, is set to officially bow out from the Nigerian Civil Service today, The Guardian reports.

His retirement comes as he concludes the mandatory 35-year tenure stipulated for public servants, marking the end of a long and distinguished career in public administration and higher education governance.

Maiyaki served as Acting Executive Secretary of the Commission from 2023 to 2024, during which he provided strategic leadership and oversight of Nigeria’s university system.

He began his career at the commission in 1993 as a Personnel/Administrative Officer I and steadily rose through the ranks, serving under six different Executive Secretaries of the commission and 18 Ministers of Education.

The Deputy Executive Secretary commenced his public service journey in 1990 as a young Administrative Officer with the Policy and Administrative Division of the Cabinet Office in the Governor’s Office, Jos, Plateau State.

In 1993, he transferred to the National Universities Commission (NUC) through an inter-service arrangement, where he assumed the role of Personnel/Administrative Officer I.

Upon assuming duty, he was also appointed Administrative Secretary for the World Bank Project Implementation Unit, based at the commission, which oversaw the execution of a $120 million credit facility for 20 participating federal universities.

At the conclusion of the project—widely regarded as one of the best-managed initiatives within the World Bank’s education portfolio in Nigeria—Maiyaki was redeployed in 1996 to other departments of the commission. There, he held a range of key leadership roles across both primary and secondary capacities.

His exemplary performance led to his appointment as Deputy Director, Special Duties and Protocol, as well as Chief of Staff to the Executive Secretary, positions he held from November 2009 to October 2014. His outstanding service in these roles ultimately earned him promotions to the ranks of substantive Director in October 2014 and Deputy Executive Secretary in 2020.

The outgoing Deputy Executive Secretary leaves behind a legacy of institutional reforms, capacity development initiatives, and strategic partnerships that contributed to the modernisation of Nigeria’s university administration.

In a chat with reporters in Abuja, he said his years in the public service had been fulfilling, adding that he was leaving with immense gratitude and a sense of accomplishment.

He expressed his appreciation to the successive Executive Secretaries, Ministers of Education, and colleagues with whom he had worked over the last 35 years, describing their support and collaboration as instrumental to his success.

Maiyaki also encouraged younger public servants to uphold integrity, diligence, and professionalism in their duties, reminding them that “public office is a trust that must be managed with humility and accountability.”

In his post-retirement life, he revealed that several local and international organisations have already approached him to offer his expertise and services.

“That’s preparation that has prepared me for the task ahead of me. I believe with the organisational, operational, administrative, regulatory, knowledge, and diplomacy skills that I have acquired over the years, I can play a role in internationalisation and in transnational education. And I will always have a say on any matter that has to do with education, because I’ve seen it all.

“So I’ve been prepared with all modesty. To be honest, I found myself now being contacted by several people. I couldn’t believe it. Some people want to set up a university. They said, wherever they went to, people said, ‘Go to this man’.

“Others are tapping my brain. And then, even some foreign universities, I’ve seen some MoUs. People want to go into MoU with me. So I see that post-retirement will even be busy for me. I think I have to even select what to use my time for”, Maiyaki said.

The Guardian reports that a farewell ceremony is expected to be held in his honour today by NUC staff in Abuja, where colleagues, friends, associates and stakeholders in the education sector will celebrate his 35 years of meritorious service to the country.