Gombe State Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya on Monday approved the appointment of 19 permanent secretaries to fill vacancies in the State Civil Service and strengthen administrative capacity for effective and efficient service delivery. The Head of the State Civil Service, Prof. Mu’azu Shehu, who conveyed the governor’s approval, said the appointments became necessary due to the shortage of permanent secretaries in the service, as well as the recent creation and restructuring of ministries by the state government. According to Shehu, “The officers selected for the appointments were drawn from 11 local government areas, with due consideration given to geographical spread, professional experience, competence and the specific requirements of the various ministries.” Shehu added that their satisfactory performance ratings and clean service records provided a strong basis for their elevation to the permanent secretary cadre. “Governor Inuwa Yahaya expects the new permanent secretaries to bring their wealth of experience, professional competence and proven capacity to bear on their new responsibilities, while contributing meaningfully to the administration’s objective of building a more responsive, efficient, professional and results-oriented civil service.