Head of Service: Presidency adopts due process

FOLLOWING protest from the South-West zone, the presidency has cancelled the original plan to automatically cede the post of the Head of Service of the Federation to the northern zone and open up the position to all qualified permanent secretaries in the public service.
 
Nigerian Tribune investigations showed that the protest by the South-West generated a renewed look at the process of appointing the Head of Service, leading to a directive from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) that qualified permanent secretaries should submit their profiles for screening and consequent consideration.
Thirteen permanent secretaries drawn from the six geopolitical zones were later officially invited to submit their profiles with the deadline being 2.00 p.m. on Wednesday, a decision reportedly based on their years of experience and importance of their present postings.
Findings revealed that the 13 nominees were at the Department of State Security Service, on Thursday, for security checks and screening, a process that was concluded late Wednesday.
It was learnt that the South-West is prominent on the new list, even though reports still indicated that the North-East and the North-West still appeared favoured due to what was described as a tradition of North-South rotation in the appointment of the Head of Service.