Pomp and ceremony as new Permanent Secretary takes over, pledges to complete absorption of 287 defunct NPC staff members into Planning Ministry

A former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Mrs Olusola Idowu has urged her successor, Engr Nebeolisa Anako to quickly conclude the process of absorbing staff members of erstwhile National Planning Commission (NPC) into the ministry.

Mrs Idowu, who gave the advice while handing over the assets and liabilities of the Ministry to Engr Anako in Abuja on Friday, said the Head of Service of the Federation had already approved the regularisation of the defunct NPC Staff members into the Federal Civil Service Commission.

Idowu said: “The Head of Service sent a parting gift which I am handing over to the incoming Permanent Secretary. It is about the regularisation and mainstream(ing) of 287 staff (members) of the former Planning Commission Staff (members) into the federal Civil Service through the federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning.

“I know files have been opened for all the staff (members). The next thing is to roll out letters through the federal civil service so they have become staff members of the federal civil service commission and no more National Planning Commission,” Idowu said.

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While accepting the relay baton from his predecessor, the new Permanent Secretary, Engr Anako expressed happiness at the level of work that had been done in the regularisation exercise and pledged to complete the process.

“I am happy to be here to work with the well-trained staff (members) of budget and national planning. I will say the cooperation given to my predecessor and even a better cooperation from all and sundry should be extended to me. This is because we have a serious task at hand. I am coming to meet here better than my predecessor did.

“In this Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, the National planning arm, has a lot of responsibilities on its shoulders. I am happy I am coming to meet a group of well trained professionals.

“We are happy about the announcement made by the outgoing Permanent Secretary that staff members of the Planning Commission are to be brought into the cadre of the Civil Service,” Anako said.