By ABAH SUNDAY ADAH
It was all over the news recently that President Bola Tinubu had approved the appointment of eight new permanent secretaries in the Federal Civil Service following the recently concluded selection process by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
A statement signed by Presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale to this effect said, “President Tinubu anticipates that the new permanent secretaries, having emerged at the top of qualified candidates after a diligent assessment process, will deploy their expertise and competence in the effective execution of the Renewed Hope mandate to revitalise service delivery in all federal ministries, departments, and agencies in the superceding interest of the Nigerian people.” One of these newly appointed eight Nigerians was Ambassador Nicholas Agbo Ella.
The appointment of Amb. Ella as one of the new permanent secretaries, who were officially inaugurated on Monday, 27 November, 2023, may have proved wrong the allegations in some quarters that President Tinubu, alongside his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), was practising the spoils system of appointment that favours only his ethno-political allies, giving the backdrop of political neutrality for which he (Ella) is known by those who really know his person.
Ambassador Nicholas Agbo Ella is a Nigerian lawyer who hails from Ogene-Amejo in Edumoga (arguably the largest district in present-day Nigeria) in Okpokwu Local Government Area (LGA) of the Idoma-speaking Benue South (Zone C Senatorial District) in Benue State.
Born on April 11, 1965, Amb. Ella holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1989, and later pursued his Master’s degrees in International Relations and Law from Monash University, Australia, and ICFAI University, Hyderabad, India, in 1998 and 2005, respectively.
After graduation, Amb. Ella practised law in Lagos from 1991 to 1993, before joining the Nigerian Foreign Service on 13th April 1993.
Amb. Ella’s civil service career spans several roles. He was promoted, prior to this latest appointment, to the rank of Director (Special Grade) Level 17 with effect from January 2020, and had served in various capacities at Nigeria foreign affairs headquarters in Abuja, the nation’s capital, and at diplomatic posts abroad.
These includes serving as Third and Second Secretary, respectively, at the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations in Geneva from 1998 to 2,000; as Counsellor at the Nigeria High Commission in New Delhi, India from 2003 to 2007; and as Senior Counsellor at the Embassy of Nigeria in Beijing, China from 2010 to 2013.
Amb. Ella was posted to the Consulate General of Nigeria in New York in May 2017 where he served as Consul in charge of Immigration Matters as well as Trade and Investment, and in several other capacities.
After he returned to the headquarters in January 2022, and riding on his wealth of experience and hardwork, Ella assumed the position of Director, Consular and Legal Department in April 2022, a position he is now vacating for his new office of Permanent Secretary.
Ella is not left out in linguistic proficiency as he speaks Idoma, Hausa, and English fluently.
One remarkable aspect of Ella’s elevation to the rank of permanent secretary is that it is historic; Ella happens to be the first illustrious son of Edumoga to have risen through the ranks in the civil service to the position of a Permanent Secretary.
Although his area of assignment is yet to be unveiled, Ella’s dedication to duty and continuous learning which led to his participation in various courses both within and outside the country have left no one in doubt that in his quest to turn around the nation’s fortunes for inclusive prosperity in line with his administration’s Renewed Hope agenda, President Tinubu has put a square peg in a square hole, going by his (Ella’s) track record of competence all through his years of stewardship in the Nigerian civil service.
Many well-wishers even believe that with his unparalleled goodwill and commitment to national service, this appointment is only a stepping stone to more that will come.
_ABAH SUNDAY ADAH is a senior journalist, based in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital._