From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Sonny Echono is the immediate past permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Education. He retired recently after serving out his term meritoriously, and without any blemish in his records. He admitted in an interview with Saturday Sun that there were moments of temptation, but he was able to overcome all that because of his pedigree. In this interview, he shared his experiences in public service.
What year did you join the federal civil service?
I joined the federal civil service in January 1987 at the age of 24. It was not an easy journey but I enjoyed it. The goodwill of my father, late Echono, helped me throughout my years in service. I didn’t have to struggle for anything, neither was I pushy for anything. I enjoyed good health and God blessed and favoured me to the point that I rose to the rank of a Permanent Secretary.
What are the things you would love to do now that you are out of office?
Retirement exposes one to a new phase in life and I am ready and prepared for it. There are things that I had abandoned, or never attended to because I was actively involved in official activities as Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, having served in other ministries for several years.
Things like what?
My family members and loved ones. They have not enjoyed my time all these years, particularly in the last seven years that I served as permanent secretary in various ministries. So, they would do that now. They would enjoy more of my attention and time now than before. Aside my engagement as permanent secretary, I was also involved in community service. I have been doing that long before now and I will do more to the best of my strength and ability. God’s work is another area that will take more of my time and commitment this time. I can confess that I have been very lucky and God has been so kind to me. So, I won’t hesitate to give back to the society if I have the opportunity. But for now, I am resting and I will do that for a while.
For how long will you rest?
I can’t say for now, but it won’t be for too long because I have other unfinished businesses awaiting my attention. However, I will use the opportunity of the break to do some reflections, take record of God’s blessings in my life, and how my life has been over the years. Thereafter, I will weigh all the options and opportunities available to me, make choice and determine what to do. But most importantly, I will only take steps in obedience to divine instructions.
What is your next line of action to keep you afloat and relevant financially and otherwise, post-retirement?
I don’t need much to keep afloat because God has blessed me, financially and otherwise, beyond my expectations. By the grace of God, I will be fine, financially and otherwise, long after retirement. Also, the service has been kind to some of us who were privileged to rise to the position of permanent secretary in the federal civil service. The case of my pension and other entitlements had been settled. My earnings will actually increase rather than reduce. My pension is higher than my salary, maybe because I don’t pay taxes anymore because I am now a senior citizen. That’s more than enough for me. Besides, my children are all grown. So, it’s only my wife and me. That would be enough for us.
How were you able to combine your profession, architecture, and civil service?
It has been part of my life to multi-task. I have had more than 30 years of active involvement in the architectural profession. I served for 20 straight years on the board of architectural education. That opportunity might have prepared me for the kind of task I undertook in the cause of my civil service. Some 22 years ago, I was the national secretary of the architectural association. I just handed over as the president of the association. So, I have decided to take the back seat a little bit to observe others and to give them guidance. Architecture is one profession in which I have acquired some degree of competence, knowledge and experience that would be useful in the future, both to me and the entire society. So, it was very easy for me to be effective in civil service and my architectural profession.
You are still energetic and experienced. Are you going to accept full-time offer or something else?
Yes, I am retired but I can tell you that I am not tired. I am relatively young, experienced and still useful to myself and the society. Currently, I have so many options on my table to consider, and everyday I get new offers. Some are asking me to write a book where I will unpack my wealth of knowledge and experience in civil service and architecture for the public to harvest. Others requested that I be more active in procurement reforms, which I was part of for a long time with a postgraduate certification. In the past few weeks, two universities had asked me to come take up courses on procurement in their schools. I also have admission offer for a PhD programme abroad which I am also considering. There are also several offers here and there but I have not taken a decision on any of them.
Why did you reject the offers from the Federal Ministry of Education as stated by the Minister of State, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba?
I won’t like to comment on that matter. But I can tell you that what I rejected was tenure elongation as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education. That decision was taken based on my personal principle and values, and there’s no regret whatsoever. As a civil servant, you already know the date of your exit, either on account of age or years of service. So, I knew that my own day of exit would come, and my prayer was for it to meet me alive and well, without bad records. So, I can’t pretend that I was not aware of the system. The concept of tenure elongation was not acceptable to me. Besides, in the last 14 years, my state has produced only two federal permanent secretaries: myself, and my predecessor. We spent seven years in service, respectively.
But many people have requested and benefitted from tenure elongation. Why did you reject the offer?
It may be true that many permanent secretaries took advantage of the elongation opportunity but I rejected the offer based on personal principles. But like I said earlier, my decision was based on my principle and belief, and I have no regret for that. I served for seven years as permanent secretary, which is very rare. My people from my state retired as directors without reaching the position of permanent secretary. I need to give space so that someone else can be permanent secretary.
You enjoyed good working relationship with the ministers. What are the secrets?
It was because of the principles I highlighted to you. In addition to that, I showed competence, dedication, commitment and contentment in my approach to official responsibilities. I truly had excellent working relationship with the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu and other Ministers of State because we have the same qualities and share the same principles. The minister is a big brother and mentor to me. He saw my qualities and what I stood for; that’s why he trusted and supported me, hence the success we achieved collectively. Aside that, the President was supportive to us.
What support did you enjoy from the President?
While I served as Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, the Ministers and myself had very good working relationship with the President as evident in the successes we recorded. He never rejected any memo from us as long as it would have positive impact on the education sector. I have said it repeatedly that in all my options, that of the President would come first. Whatever the President wants me to do, that will I give priority. I know I need to help the President finish strong, and it does not necessarily have to be in an appointive position. The President sees me as a valuable member of the government and he has demonstrated that in many ways. However, there are certain assignments that I have not finished for the President and many of them are advisory.
You said you spent seven years as permanent secretary, without a query, EFCC or ICPC invitation. How did it happen?
I can’t explain how it happened but I know that God helped me to navigate stormy waters. Like I said earlier, I don’t struggle for things for myself, hence I don’t take foolish risks that will land me in trouble. However, in my principle, I am neither anxious nor desperate for anything. I always tell my subordinates that I work strictly on rules and regulations. I believe in due process and my bosses know that. In a nutshell, I am a lucky one to have had bosses who shared the same principles and values with me. They knew that there are certain things that I cannot do because of the implications.
What are the unique qualities of your former boss, Malam Adamu Adamu?
It may sound as if I am praising him but I can tell you that my former boss, Malam Adamu Adamu, is a principled man and that made two of us to work together in harmony. He can best be described as an extremist in terms of due process and rules. For the years I served as permanent secretary in the ministry, I never saw nor heard that Adamu touched a penny that belongs to the government. I am very serious about this. I served in that ministry for four years, and Adamu did not, for one day, ask me to give anybody contract or give money for anything. He doesn’t even collect allowances for travels. He always tells me that his hosts always provide his needs. It took me time to convince him that his staff deserve allowances for whatever journey he embarks on. Adamu is the first person to cancel the idea of extended days for the sake of estacode. For instance, if Adamu travels abroad for seven days, and for any reason comes back on the sixth day, the first thing he would do was to return the extra allowance to me. He was exemplary to me and others.
Were you ever faced with the temptation to compromise your stance while in office?
Yes. I faced such temptations everyday by virtue of the office I occupied. But my principles and values guided and saved me. It’s a question of your values. I am a very proud person. For that purpose, I don’t put myself in a position where somebody will compromise me. I can simply decline an offer and walk away with my shoulders held high. What I consider the biggest disgrace in life is to be caught cheating because of the disgrace and humiliation that would come with such act. I can only ask for help, which people often render without hesitation. I grew up in a family where we were taught integrity, culture and fear of God. My father was a civil servant and he was well celebrated because of his reputation and the good name he built. My father’s name opened doors for my siblings and me, and I want to bequeath such virtues to my children.
Was there any setback for you in the course of your career?
Yes. But I really enjoyed favour all round from many people during my career. Nevertheless, there were setbacks and some of them became a springboard for me. I was once denied promotion; such a thing often causes depression for some people. But when the error was later corrected, it afforded me the opportunity to get acceleration and promotion. I became far above my superiors in the service. I can tell you that only few persons have enjoyed the rare privilege of serving as permanent secretary for seven years without baggage.