L-R: Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ekiti State, Mr. Dayo Akinlaja; Governor Kayode Fayemi; Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice Olasehinde Kumuyi; and newly appointed Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Mr. Dayo Apata, during the Inauguration, in Ado-Ekiti... on Monday.
Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has sworn-in Mr. Dayo Apata as the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secratry in the Ministry of Justice.
The position became vacant when the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary who occupied the position then in acting capacity had his appointment withdrawn.
Speaking while performing the swearing-in at the Executive Council chamber of the Governor’s office in Ado Ekiti, the State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi said the appointment of a Solicitor-General was delayed by a suit filed by the Nigerian Bar Association against the Civil Service Commission, despite that the procedure for appointment encouraged serving officers in the Directorate cadre in the State Ministry of Justice to apply and be considered for the position.
“This has no doubt prolonged the process for the appointment of a Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary as we were hoping that the issue would be resolved amicably. However, the situation has dragged for too long that it is only an irresponsible government that will fold its arm and watch a sensitive Ministry like the Ministry of Justice to continue to operate without a Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary who indeed is the accounting officer of government in that Ministry moreso that the Governor of the State whose duty it is to appoint a solicitor-General as guaranteed under the constitution was not joined in the suit filed by the Bar Association,”he said.
Dr. Fayemi added that the appointment of Mr. Apata was not intended to belittle or present existing officers as incompetent but rather as a way to strengthen their capacity and prepare them for future leadership.
He urged all legal officers and workers in the Ministry of Justice to cooperate with the new Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary to enable the State benefit from his wealth of experience.
While charging the new appointee on professionalism and focus on actualising the 8-point agenda of the Fayemi-led administration, the Governor urged him to build a formidable legal team that would be the pride of all Ekiti people; stressing that his achievements would be measured based on how well he has managed his team.
In his acceptance speech, Mr. Apata assured that he would use his wealth of experience to benefit the State Ministry of Justice and work closely with other Permanent Secretaries in the State in actualising the 8-point agenda of the administration.
Mr. Dayo Apata studied Law at the University of Ibadan where he graduated in 1984 and was called to bar in 1985. Before his appointment, Mr. Apata had served as a legal adviser on vision 2020 and the Sovereign Wealth Fund.
At the event were the Chief Judge of Ondo state, Hon. Justice Olasehinde Kumuyi, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Ekiti State, Mr. Dayo Akinlaja and the State Head of Service, Mr. Bunmi Famosaya among others.
Last modified: May 1, 2012
