Grace Adayilo: First female and first indigenous Head of Service
The late Head of Service of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Grace Adayilo, has been described as the first female and first indigenous officer in the position. According to the special assistant on media to the HoS, Anthony Odey, Adayilo, who was also known as Mama Africa, died in the early hours of Monday. President […]
Late Mrs Grace Adayilo
The late Head of Service of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Grace Adayilo, has been described as the first female and first indigenous officer in the position.
According to the special assistant on media to the HoS, Anthony Odey, Adayilo, who was also known as Mama Africa, died in the early hours of Monday.
President Bola Tinubu appointed her on October 6, 2024 after she first served as permanent secretary in the Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat of the FCT.
The president of the Original Inhabitants Development Association of Abuja (OIDA), Danladi Jeji, recalled the project he was collaborating with Mama Africa.
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In a tribute posted on the FCT Stakeholders’ Assembly platform, Jeji wrote: “You have finished the race. You have done it. My heart is very heavy. The God Almighty has called you to be with him.”
During a media chat, the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, described her death as “really sad and unfortunate.”
“Throughout the time I started working with her, I have had no cause for complaint. She was full of life. Give her an assignment and you would not complain; there would be no excuses.
“It is so painful, but I do know that she has done her work. Her creator has called her back and I do know she will rest in the bosom of the Lord.
“She had been a preacher. She was a true Christian, committed and devoted to community service. She was a woman you could depend on. Yes, she was a civil servant, but there were some political traits in her as a great humaniser.
“The FCT will take care of her burial expenses. Money cannot replace her but there’s nothing we can do,” Wike said.