By Kenneth Orusi, Managing Editor
The Delta State Government has reaffirmed that the recent appointment of Permanent Secretaries in the state civil service was guided by merit, seniority and equitable representation, dismissing suggestions that the process was influenced by lobbying or political considerations.
The Head of Service, Delta State, Dr. (Mrs.) Mininim Oseji, stated this on Monday June 22, 2026, while briefing journalists in Asaba, the state capital, explaining that the exercise followed a thorough assessment of vacancies and representation across the state’s local government areas.
According to her, the appointment of Permanent Secretaries remains the exclusive prerogative of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, who takes decisions based on a broader understanding of the state’s governance needs.
“The issue of appointing Permanent Secretaries is the exclusive prerogative of His Excellency the Governor.
“His Excellency the Governor sees the entire picture of the state that he is governing. There are things he knows that I do not know.
“All I can do is present matters that are under my purview and when he believes the time is right, he does the needful,” she said.
Oseji disclosed that the process leading to the latest appointments began with an analysis of the distribution of Permanent Secretaries across the state, which revealed that several local government areas had no representation at that level.
She explained that the findings were presented to Governor Oborevwori, who subsequently directed that the most senior officers from the affected local government areas be identified for consideration.
“What I did was to do an analysis of the Permanent Secretaries that we had and then I was able to tell His Excellency sometime last year that a number of local government areas did not have Permanent Secretaries.
“That was what spurred His Excellency to ask me to bring the names of those that were senior in those local government areas that did not have them,” she stated.
The Head of Service said the exercise eventually covered 11 local government areas and resulted in the appointment of qualified officers after a transparent selection process.
She noted that the outcome earned widespread commendation, including from individuals who had initially sought to influence the process.
“A lot of people, even those who had been meeting and talking about people they wanted to lobby for to become Permanent Secretaries, when they saw the selection and how transparent it was based on geographical location, seniority and merit, they were very happy and they were commending the process,” she said.
Oseji further stressed that none of the 11 newly appointed Permanent Secretaries lobbied her or sought personal favours to secure their appointments.
“I want to say here that none of the 11 recently appointed Permanent Secretaries met me at any time to lobby for those positions,” she declared.
In what she described as further evidence of the credibility of the exercise, the Head of Service revealed that the Permanent Secretary appointed from Governor Oborevwori’s local government area had no prior relationship with the governor and only met him during the swearing-in ceremony.
“Even the Permanent Secretary that was appointed from the local government area of His Excellency the Governor, His Excellency met him for the first time at the point of swearing-in. So that goes to show you how transparent the process is,” she added.
Oseji, however, advised civil servants aspiring to become Permanent Secretaries to focus on diligence, competence and dedication to duty rather than engaging in lobbying.
According to her, the position remains highly competitive and is influenced by several factors, including availability of vacancies, seniority ranking within local government areas and merit.
“The fact that you are the most senior in your local government area does not automatically mean you must become a Permanent Secretary before retirement. A lot of factors come into play.
“So rather than going around lobbying and begging and asking, just do your work diligently. Merit is very important and dedication to duty will always speak for itself,” she said.
She reaffirmed the commitment of the Oborevwori administration to fairness, transparency and professionalism in the management of the state’s civil service, assuring workers that appointments and promotions would continue to be guided by due process and established regulations.
