Tension is mounting on the surveyor-general of the federation, Professor Peter Nwilo, who has yet to retire from the civil service after attaining the mandatory retirement age of 60, LEADERSHIP investigation has shown.
Prof. Nwilo, who was born on February 15, 1954, commenced his working career with the civil service in the Survey division of Sokoto State on August 1980 after a stint with Aniyoms Surveys and A. Lakanu & Co. Surveys, Lagos between 1977 and 1979.
But as at the time of filing this report, he has yet to retire from his position as the surveyor-general of the federation.
Section 8, 020810 (I) of the Federal Government Public Service Rules 2009 provides that the compulsory retirement age for all grades in the Service shall be 60 years or 35 years of pensionable service .
It was also gathered reliably that the minister of works, Mr Mike Onolememen, whose ministry the surveyor-general’s office is under, is allegedly turning deaf ears to calls for Nwilo’s compulsory retirement by concerned stakeholders.
This is despite intense pressure mounted on the head of service of the federation (HoS) by very senior officials to force Nwilo, who was appointed surveyor-general by President Goodluck Jonathan, on October 16, 2011, to quit.
According to them, if nothing was done to get the surveyor-general who attained the retirement age of 60 years to leave office as specified by the public service rules , the country would be witnessing a replay in the case of Prof. Afolabi Oladipo, former permanent secretary and later head of service of the federation who had refused to retire from office.
In a petition addressed to the chairman of the federal civil service of the federation dated March 4, 2014, an erstwhile deputy surveyor general, Mr Ayoola Abayomi, called for the compulsory retirement of Nwilo.
He contended in the petition obtained by LEADERSHIP that while the office was controlled by extant rules and regulations contained in the public service rules in terms of appointment, promotion, discipline and retirement. “He has refused to vacate the office in line with the circular HCSF/EMS/EIR/B.63694/IV/T2/96 of July 2009, which made it compulsory for any officer who has attained the age of 60 years to compulsorily retire from service. In fact, he is still reporting till date,” the petition noted.
When our correspondent sought to get Nwilo’s reaction in his office, the surveyor-general declined to comment, saying as a civil servant, he was not in “a position to speak to the press.”
He, however, admitted that “the matter is already with the head of service of the federation.”
LEADERSHIP checks also showed that the deputy surveyor-general, Ayoola, has since been redeployed from the surveyor-general’s office back to the office of the head of service of the federation, following his protest that Nwilo ought to have left office since February.
It was also gathered that two Surveyors-General were earlier brought from outside to head the office and retired when they reached the mandatory retirement age of 60. They are Colonel Babatunde T. Alo and Alhaji Yahya Mohammed.
It was further learnt that Mr. Faud A. Kazeem, Adewola Isaac and A. P. C. Njepeume, three insiders, were also appointed Surveyors-General in recent times before they retired when they reached the mandatory retirement period.
“It is therefore a big surprise that Prof. P. C. Nwilo has attained the mandatory retirement age of 60 but refused to vacate office”, a source at the Surveyor General’s office also told our correspondent.
The source who preferred anonymity recalled that when the Surveyor-General took over on November 28, 2011, his predecessor had pointedly told him that he would be guided by the Federal Government Service Circulars, Financial Regulations and Public Procurement Act, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and other relevant Acts/Laws.
“Today, after two years in office, Prof. P. C. Nwilo has forgotten that he is in the public service, and not the University, where he has to retire after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60”, he added.
When our correspondent sought to get Nwilo’s reaction in his office, the Surveyor-General declined to comment, saying as a civil servant, he was not in “a position to speak to the press.”
He, however, admitted that “the matter is already with the Head of Service of the Federation.”
Source: Leadership
