THE emergence of Pastor John Adeniran Adeyemo as the new Head of Service of Ondo State Public Service did not come as a surprise or against public expectation.
WITHOUT mincing words, his rich pedigree in the service had long marked him out and prepared him as a potential Head of Service.
THOUGH Pastor Adeyemo or any serving Permanent Secretary may not for now possess the same clout, charisma and administrative pedal power of the outgone Head of Service, Mr Dare Aragbaiye, for obvious reasons, yet the new HoS’s humility and listening attributes make him a worthy successor.
THE new helmsman joined the Ondo State public service in 1990 as an administrative officer II and his meteoric rise took him through the ranks before being appointed as a Permanent Secretary before his new appointment.
AN astute and experienced administrator, he has traversed almost all the MDAs in the state in the course of his career. He is a member of many professional organisations, notably, the prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies and Nigerian Institute of Management among others.
ADEYEMO, who for many years was the Chairman of the Administrative Officers Forum (ADOFOM) in Ondo State, is seen by colleagues as nice, easygoing and highly principled. Until his new appointment, he held sway as the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information.
THE Hope congratulates and rejoices with Pastor John Adeniran Adeyemo for the new responsibility, which many believe is rightly bestowed, well-earned and deserved.
NO doubt, Pastor Adeyemo is assuming office at a most pernicious, ill-starred and turbulent period in the nation’s history, when government and labour relationship is at its lowest ebb. Across the country, labour and government are at each other’s throats as many workers are gripped with uncertainty, fear, job loss, poor pay, delayed salary and inflation. So precarious is the situation that some workers have taken to suicide.
THIS is because the security which public service guarantees many in the past has suddenly fizzled out, forcing many workers to take the plunge or engage in fraudulent and sharp deals. The culture of ‘I want wealth at all cost’ has enveloped the country and the civil service and its elite work force are not immuned.
THE consequences of labour’s vulnerability is that the nation’s labour landscape is filled with disgruntled workers and frustrated retirees whose emoluments are either not paid or delayed, while some have died without collecting their entitlements after decades of serving their fatherland.
EVERYWHERE, the labour space is filled with gory stories of workers’ anguish and pain due to non-payment of their gratuities and pensions.
WE empathise with the HoS that he is taking over the mantle of leadership at a most austere and difficult time.
BUT we are roundly assured that his administrative acumen, humility, priestly accolade and quality of skills as an institution builder will help him to overcome labour crises as they come.
WE enjoin Pastor Adeyemo to defend the public service from the tyranny of political Aristotles who might want to ride roughshod the service for economic advantages. He must employ the best principles of creative cooperation to resolve conflicts between top echelons of the service and politicians to ensure that the strategic goals of this administration are executed successfully.
WITH promptness, he must address the unethical arm twisting of pensioners by some unscrupulous civil servants who insist on extortion before the entitlements of pensioners are processed.
AS Adeyemo comes on board, we urge all public servants in the state to support him while wishing him a huge triumphant sail through in his new assignment.