By Magnus Emuji
ASABA/Nigeria: The immediate past Executive Secretary of the Delta State Agency for the Control of AIDS (DELSACA), Dr. John Osuyali, has commended the outgoing Director of Partnership and Policy Coordination, Mrs. Grace Obiageli Sifo, for her unwavering dedication to service, describing her as a pillar whose retirement has left a significant vacuum in the agency.
Dr. Osuyali made the remark in Asaba while chairing the retirement and 60th birthday ceremony organised in honour of Mrs. Sifo, noting that her exit from the Delta State Civil Service marked the end of an era defined by exceptional service delivery, accountability and transparency.
According to him, the retiree was a committed team player who consistently distinguished herself in the discharge of her duties, adding that her professionalism and integrity had contributed immensely to the growth and stability of DELSACA.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of DELSACA, Mr. Hobson Rudolf, said attaining the age of 60 and retiring from the civil service was worthy of celebration, stressing that Mrs. Sifo’s efforts had been instrumental in virtually all the achievements recorded by the agency over the years.
In their goodwill messages, the State Programme Manager of the Excellence Community Education Welfare Scheme (ECEWS), Mr. Henry Udenenwu, the Delta State Coordinator of the Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), Mr. Christopher Ogberetinor, the State Coordinator of the National Youth Network on HIV/AIDS, Mr. Uche Osakwe, the HIV State Coordinator in the Delta State Ministry of Health, Dr. Linda Peter-Enyi, and the celebrant’s younger sister, Mrs. Nkechi Uzoka, described her retirement as a transition to a higher level of service, noting that her contributions to HIV/AIDS interventions in the state were unprecedented.
Udenenwu said Mrs. Sifo’s tenure as Director of Partnership and Policy Coordination was impactful in strengthening the HIV response in Delta State and in shaping the work of partner organisations, describing her as not only a partner but an invaluable ally and mentor whose efforts touched countless lives and strengthened systems across the state.
Ogberetinor and Osakwe recalled her consistent support for people living with HIV/AIDS, with Ogberetinor noting that it was through her guidance that he successfully registered his first organisation.
Earlier, the husband of the celebrant, Pastor Gregory Sifo, said his emergence as Delta State and South-South Chairman and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Civil Society Organisation in Malaria Control, Immunisation and Nutrition (ACOMIN) was largely due to the encouragement and guidance he received from his wife. He described her as a woman of substance, character and diverse talents, adding that retirement would afford her more time to serve God.
In her response, a visibly elated Mrs. Sifo identified passion, honesty, determination and transparency as core values every civil servant must uphold to succeed, urging younger officers to shun the negative pursuit of wealth and instead focus on adding value to their careers and society, reminding them that hard work always attracts reward.
The ceremony featured the presentation of cash and gift items to the celebrant by colleagues, friends and well-wishers.
