Five directors in Nigeria’s federal civil service now face the test of grit in their jostle for the position of Accountant General of the Federation, AGF.
They have been shortlisted for the final stage of the recruitment process.
The next AGF, who will succeed the outgoing Oluwatoyin Madein, is expected to be selected from among these five candidates.
A memo from the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, dated January 24, 2025, and signed by the Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, Fatima Mahmoud, invited qualified directors to apply for the position.
The memo was addressed to key government offices, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Chief of Staff to the President, ministers, and heads of ministries, departments, and agencies.
President Bola Tinubu had in December 2024 appointed Babatunde Ogunjimi as the acting Accountant General following the commencement of pre-retirement leave by Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein.
However, Madein later resumed duty after receiving a directive extending her tenure until March 7, 2025.
As a result, Ogunjimi was reassigned to the Public Service Institute of Nigeria as Director of Accounts.
The letter extending Madein’s tenure was issued by the Head of Service of the Federation, according to a report by The Nation newspaper.
Speaking on the development, the spokesperson for the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Bawa Mokwa, confirmed that the directive reinstated Madein to oversee treasury operations until her final retirement.
He added that under civil service regulations, terminal leave was optional, leaving some uncertainty over the status of Ogunjimi’s prior appointment as acting AGF.
The new memo from the Head of Service stated that accreditation of eligible candidates for the AGF position began on January 28, 2025, and ended on February 1, 2025.
A separate memo, dated February 13, 2025, and signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Gabriel Aduda, on behalf of the examination committee, showed that five directors successfully passed the written examination stage and had advanced to the final oral interview stage.
It was reported that the oral interview may provide a test of grit for the candidates.
The Grit Scale is a series of 12 questions and statements.
Respondents indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with each statement on a scale of 1 to 5.
The scale encourages people to think critically about their resilience.
The Grit Scale is used to identify candidates who can overcome challenges and stay focused.
This can help ensure success and commitment in demanding roles.
Whoever emerges as the next Accountant General of the Federation would be a candidate that is topnotch and demonstrates intellectual depth and capacity to handle gritty financial situations and untangle jigsaw financial puzzles.
