Barring any unforeseen circumstance, Governor Abiola Ajimobi is to, any moment from now, appoint one of the permanent secretaries in the Oyo State Civil Service to succeed the outgoing Head of Service, HoS, Mr. Soji Eniade.
Sources who confided in insideoyo.com revealed that the permanent secretary, PS, of the ministry of local government and chieftaincy affairs, Mrs Hannah Olawumi Ogunesan, may be the governor’s choice.
If finally she’s finally announced as Eniade’s successor, Ogunesan, who hails from Ago-Amodu community of Saki East Local government area of Oyo State, would resume office in the first week of February 2018.
Insideoyo.com learnt that the permanent secretary/clerk of the Oyo State House of Assembly has been overseeing the outgoing HoS for months, being the most senior PS.
A source, however, told insideoyo.com that the governor has the prerogative to appoint any of the PS as HoS.
Apart from the PS of the House, insideoyo.com gathered that Ogunesan has many ‘seniors’, which included the permanent secretaries in the ministries of finance & budget, lands & housing and others.
Not long ago, unconfirmed report had it that when the governor asked Eniade to give him his preference for the position, the latter had put Ogunesan in sixth position on the list.
But it was further learnt that Ogunesan is a powerful force to reckon with in the present administration, though a civil servant. She is said to be so close to the first family that she was fingered as the ‘man’ behind the appointment of the current 18 local government areas and local council development areas’ caretaker chairmen.
Only recently, the state government secretariat was ‘temporarily relocated’ to the Saki and Ibadan venues of her daughters’ weddings which held simultaneously.