The Permanent Secretary, Arc Sonny Echono, has bowed out of the Federal Civil Service, ending his tour of duties at the Federal Ministry of Education.
He retired after 35 years of meritorious service to the nation and on Thursday handed over the baton of office to the Director, Human Resources, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr David Gende in acting capacity.
Speaking at the brief ceremony, the Minister of State for Education, Hon Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, made the startling revelation that overtures made to elongate the tenure of Echono failed partly because he rejected it and that President Muhammadu Buhari might not be disposed to it.
He said: “Towards the close of the year last year, I told Malam Adamu Adamu that you are the ones in power, can’t we extend this man’s stay here? And Malam said he was not sure if he can boon that because things have changed a little bit and our President will not listen to that any longer.
“I tried to tempt the Permanent Secretary and said please, can we employ you in some other areas to see if we can keep you? And he said he is advising us to respect ourselves and try to allow him some kind of time to rest, that he has actually worked hard and would not try to kill himself. But we really tried all kinds of gimmicks to persuade him.
“So, when I heard Professor Ajiboye saying that we can’t afford to let him go, he was not only reflecting on his exit but the service he gave to the country at the highest level,” Nwajiuba said.
Registrar and Chief of Executive of Teachers’Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Professor Josiah Ajiboye, who spoke on behalf of other Chief Executives of Parastatals and Agencies under the Federal Ministry of Education, said Echono had been the life wire of the Ministry and that the education sector could not afford to let him go him because of his dynamism and versatility.
He noted that his exit has created a great challenge for anybody who would take over from him “because you have enlarged the shoes.”
The outgoing Permanent Secretary in his remark, described education as a critical sector to the national development, saying there was the need to train and adequately prepare Nigerian children for the future, stressing that this goal had been his major pursuit with his principals in the last four years of his tour of duty at the Federal Ministry of Education.
While expressing delight at the interest of President Muhammadu Buhari to education, Echono said he was fulfilled that throughout the four years of his being the accounting officer of the Ministry of Education, no single memo sent to the President that had not been approved.
Director, Human Resources, Mr David Gende, earlier in his remark on behalf of other directors in the Ministry spoke glowingly of the Permanent Secretary and listed several achievements to his credit including the recently resuscitated National Senior Secondary Education Commission NSSEC).
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We made overture to elongate Echono tenure as permanent secretary ― Minister