The Council of Retired Federal Permanent Secretaries (CORFEPS) will on Thursday, December 4, 2025, host its first-ever Dinner and Honours Award at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja an event set to celebrate Nigeria’s most iconic civil service pioneers and reinforce the enduring value of institutional memory in national development.
Themed “Harnessing CORFEPS as a Wealth of Knowledge for Nation Building,” the ceremony marks a major milestone for the Council as it formally inaugurates the CORFEPS Honours Award, designed to recognize the visionaries and foundational figures whose leadership helped shape the evolution of the Federal Public Service.
Delivering the keynote address is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, GCON, who is expected to speak on the intersection of contemporary governance challenges and the crucial role of seasoned public administrators in strengthening national policy continuity. His remarks will spotlight how a nation’s capacity to progress is deeply rooted in its ability to retain and apply institutional wisdom.
Chairing the high-profile event is the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dame Esther Didi Walson-Jack, while the host for the evening will be M. Yayale Ahmed, CFR, a distinguished statesman and former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and Minister of Defence. The presence of Ebele O. Okeke, CFR, Nigeria’s first female Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, further underscores the event’s significance as a gathering of administrative trailblazers.
At the heart of the recognition ceremony is the honouring of revered civil service legends regarded as the “Fathers and Founders of CORFEPS.” Among them are Allison A. Ayida, Izoma Philip Asiodu, Francesca Emanuel, Alhaji I. M. Damcida, Asiwaju Tunji Olutola, Alhaja Latifat Okunnu, and several others whose exemplary careers set standards of integrity, competence, and public-spirited leadership that continue