Oyo-Ita tenders resignation as head of service

Family pressure may have forced the Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, to throw in the towel as she has allegedly offered to proceed on an immediate retirement.

Sources disclosed that her decision to bow out of office was contained in a letter she sent to President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday. The widow, who still has five years to retirement, had been under pressure from her immediate family to resign after media reports emerged that she was being probed over an alleged contract scam.

Although she has vehemently denied her involvement in any fraud, Oyo-Ita, however, bowed to pressure and turned in the correspondence to enable her to proceed on retirement. Though President Buhari is yet to take a final decision on the matter, it was nonetheless learnt that he might acquiesce to her offer.

Oyo-Ita was absent yesterday at the presidential retreat for ministers-designate, federal permanent secretaries and top government functionaries which held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja. Top family sources in Calabar yesterday confirmed her resignation. Craving anonymity, they said: “Her resignation is not unconnected with the meeting she had with President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday in Aso Rock.”