It has been said that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s permission of more housing units for Permanent Secretaries (PS) in their quarters is a sign of his dedication to the PS college and civil officials.
On Monday in Asaba, Dr. (Mrs.) Mininim Oseji, Head of Service, Delta State, revealed that Mr. Chukwuka Aghedo, retiring PS, Ministry of Housing, was paying a courtesy call.
She claimed that when she headed the committee on extra housing units for PS in their current quarters, the magnitude of Aghedo’s responsibilities as PS and the ministry’s chief accounting officer became clear to her.
In the same way that she urged Aghedo to retire in order to refire, she claims the committee was able to give a report and a design to her predecessor, Mr. Reginald Bayoko, characterizing the retirement as a well-earned one, outstanding service to the state government.
“I charge you to retire, and I thank God that you are doing well in your retirement. Additionally, I advise you to choose pastimes that will keep you regularly engaging with loved ones, such swimming, golf, gardening, reading, and playing indoor games like cards, ludo, scrabble, ayo, and ludo.
Above all, I implore you to deepen your spirituality by reading the Bible, giving thanks to God more frequently, and getting involved in more activities that will spark a national revival. Wishing you luck in the future, Oseji suggested.
Aghedo had already thanked God for his 34-year trip in the state civil service, but he insisted that God had also been merciful and compassionate enough to let the adventure come to an end last Monday.
He expressed gratitude to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for keeping him on as PS, “a position he was not required to hold when he assumed the governorship.” I am grateful that former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa appointed me as PS in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The beginning was not a beautiful story to tell due to the monumental challenges confronting the young state, no office, no accommodation; we found succor staying under trees,” he stated of his experience. If I were to write a book on my early years in the service, it would have to be at least forty pages long.
As PS, Ministry of Housing, I was an administrative officer rather than an architect, quantity surveyor, or builder. My background in the Ministry of Works aided me with administrative, budgetary, and procurement-related tasks.
He expressed gratitude to his mentors, coworkers, subordinates, and confronters, saying they provided him with the wisdom to conquer and the oil to fire on. “My colleague, PS, and subordinates, I am convinced that you are full of goodness, full of all knowledge, and that you can teach and admonish one another,” he declared.
On August 20, 1991, seven days prior to Delta State’s formation, Recalled Aghedo was hired into the Delta State civil service.
Prior to becoming PS at Cabinet & Administration and retiring as PS, Ministry of Housing, Aghedo began his career as an Inspector and Monitoring Officer in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. He was later assigned to the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Peace & Conflict Resolution, Government House, Ministry of Arts, Culture & Tourism, Ministry of Lands, Survey & Urban Development, and Ministry of Works.
