The Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC) has appointed Mr. Festus Adewale Omomowo as its new Permanent Secretary, effective February 16, 2026.
Mr. Omomowo’s appointment comes nearly two years after he was elevated to the rank of Permanent Secretary on March 5, 2024, by Ondo State Governor, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa. He had previously been deployed to the Ondo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
Born on July 16, 1968, in Obe-Rewoye Community, Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, Omomowo began his education at L.A. Primary School, Obe-Rewoye, where he obtained his Primary School Leaving Certificate in 1978 and served as Senior Prefect.
He later attended Happy City College, Ayetoro, before proceeding to the then Ondo State University, Ado-Ekiti, now Ekiti State University (EKSU), where he earned a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) in Religious Studies in 1994 with Second Class (Upper Division) honours.
An outstanding scholar, he emerged as the Best Graduating Student in the 1992/1993 B.Ed. Final Examination and was also named Best Student in the B.Ed. (Hons.) Education Arts Degree Examination for the same academic session.
In recognition of his academic excellence, he was awarded the Grand Order of Education as the Best Graduating Student of the Faculty of Education.
He later obtained a Master’s degree in Personnel Psychology with Distinction from the University of Ibadan in 1997.
Omomowo began his civil service career in January 1998 as an Education Officer with SUBEB. In November 2001, he transitioned to the administrative cadre and served in the Service Matters Department in the Office of the Head of Service.
During this period, he received a Letter of Commendation from the then Head of Service for his role in the official flag-off of Zonal TESCOM.
Over the years, he has served in several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), including as Pioneer Director of Finance and Administration at the Ondo State Emergency Medical Services Agency (ODEMSA) from 2010 to 2018.
He also served as Pioneer Director of Administration at the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital (UNIMEDTH), Ondo.
As Administrative Secretary of the Department of Public Service Reform and Development in the Office of the Head of Service, Omomowo led efforts to digitise existing State Civil Service circulars, making them electronically accessible.
He also spearheaded the Civil Service Innovation Challenge, an initiative designed to encourage creativity and improve performance within the state civil service.
Omomowo is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Administration of Nigeria (CIPAN), a Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), and a Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM).
With his new posting to OSOPADEC, stakeholders say expectations are high that his administrative experience and reform-oriented approach will further strengthen the Commission’s operations in oil-producing communities across Ondo State.
He is married and blessed with children.
