The Council of Retired Federal Permanent Secretaries (CORFEPS) will hold a one-week forum to explore ways of getting the Nigerian Public Service back on track towards serving as the engine of good governance in the country.
A statement issued on Sunday in Abuja by Dr. Goke Adegoroye, the National Publicity Secretary of the Council, said the 2024 CORFEPS Week will be in three parts.
It will include a colloquium on Tuesday in Abuja, expected to be declared open by President Bola Tinubu.
“The morning session will be chaired by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and former Minister of Finance, His Majesty Oluyemi Falae, the Olu of Ilu-Abo, and Baba Oba of Akure Kingdom.
“The afternoon session will be chaired by Amb. Babagana Kingibe, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and former Minister of Foreign Affairs,” Adegoroye said.
He said the council will hold its annual general meeting on Wednesday in Abuja, while Thursday will be for the investiture of its grand patron, President Tinubu.
Adegoroye said the colloquium has as its theme ‘Reflections on Nigeria’s Public Service: Way Forward for Good Governance’.
The lead speakers for the colloquium are Dr. Bukar Usman, who is to give a general overview of the topic, while Dr. Timiebi Koripamo-Agary will present the ‘Insider’s Perspective’.
Mr. Martins Oloja, the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian, will present the ‘Outsider’s Perspective’.
“There will be three discussants, all retired Permanent Secretaries, namely, Amb. Godknows Igali, Ammuna Ali, and Dr. Goke Adegoroye.”.
The national publicity secretary said Falae and Kingibe were selected to be part of the event because they “are treasures of the glorious era of the Nigerian public service.”.
Adegoroye said they stood out for their courage and ability to speak truth to power, which made the post-independence civil service an institution that commanded the respect of all Nigerians.
“No one is better placed to remind us of how it was in those days and what made the political masters respect the permanent secretaries than the duo of Falae and Kingibe,” he added.
Adegoroye said vital questions, including how ministers and permanent secretaries used to have mutual respect for each other and also between civil servants and the public, will be explored.
He said that the aim was to understand what went wrong and agree on ways to reposition the civil service to ensure good governance in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that CORFEPS Week was instituted by the current Chairman of the Council, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, a former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Minister of Defense, and later Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Chief Philip Asiodu currently sits as Chairman of the Board of Trustees and was the
foundation chairman of the Council.
He was succeeded by the late Mrs. Francesca Yetunde-Emanuel, the first female federal Permanent Secretary.
The council was set up to engage in meaningful discourse on important and relevant issues of national development, including matters pertaining to the public service.
It is also to draw public attention to matters of desirable national living standards and standards of values, morality, performance, and conduct.
It carries out periodic objective assessments of the overall performance of the nation and offers constructive advice on key public policy issues.
The council also seeks to assist in restoring and maintaining the proper role of the Civil Service as a non-partisan organ to serve the government and the nation, among others. (NAN)
