BY VICTOR  AHIUMA-YOUNG

ASSOCIATION of Senior  Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, has petitioned Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, appealing to him to rescind the appointment of  a retired major as a Permanent Secretary, saying such appointment if allowed to stand could weaken the morale of public servants in the state.

Briefing newsmen in Lagos, yesterday, Secretary General of ASCSN, Mr. Alade  Lawal, argued  that the post, by its very strategic nature, should be the exclusive preserve of highly skilled, competent, and knowledgeable senior civil servants who are groomed in the cherished culture and norms of the civil service.

He noted that the appointment came on the heels of a recent sack of 22 Chief Inspectors of Education and 19 Local Education Secretaries for no other offence than that they were not on their duty posts when the Edo State governor paid unscheduled visits to their schools.

Lawal contended that there were other areas that the retired major could be useful to the governor in his task of taking Edo State to the next level, saying that the appointment contravened “Section 208 (2) of the 1999 constitution as amended authorising state governors to recruit Permanent Secretaries from the State Civil Services.”

The association advised the governor to rescind the appointment and replace him with a qualified public servant to avoid the issue degenerating to a dispute with the association.