Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, on Monday, approved the appointment of Mrs Olapeju Babafemi as the new Head of Service (HOS) for the state.
A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Olayinka Oyebode, said that Babafemi, by her appointment, becomes the first female to be so substantively appointed to lead the state public service since the creation of the state on Oct 1, 1996.
Babafemi, who had had a stint as acting Head of Service shortly after Fayemi’s inauguration as governor for a second term, later proceeded on an overseas’ training programme in 2019, courtesy of the state government.
She was until the new appointment, a Visiting Research Fellow at the African Leadership Centre, School of Global Affairs, King’s College, London, United Kingdom.
Her appointment, according to the state, takes effect from Feb. 10.
She is to take over from Mr Ayodeji Ajayi, who retires from the civil service on Feb. 9, having attained the mandatory retirement age of 60.
The new head of service started her career as an Administrative Officer with the old Ondo State Civil Service on June 30, 1987.
She rose through the ranks to become a Permanent Secretary in October 2009 and had served in that capacity in several ministries, including Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry of Local Government and the Cabinet and Special Services Department.
NAN also reports that Babafemi will be sworn in by the governor on Feb. 10.
Meanwhile, Fayemi has commended the outgoing HoS for his diligence and professionalism which, he said, had helped in repositioning the state civil service for effective service delivery. (NAN)
