Rumpus in federal civil service over permanent secretaries’ deployment
The recent deployment of Federal permanent secretaries has created anger and resentment in the civil service.
It was learnt that the Head of Service of the Federation (HoSF), Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, allegedly “tampered” with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approved template for the redeployment of 24 Federal permanent secretaries.
But this could be immediately verified.
A director in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, who spoke in confidence, claimed that the normal protocol is for the HoSF to submit a deployment proposal to the President for approval before deployments are carried out.
“In this case, even though she submitted a proposal for the deployment to the President, there were some inputs and serious surgical works on the list before it came back to her. But she just did what pleased her apparently to punish some people.
“It was pure impunity and a clear attempt to favour certain cronies and punish some permanent secretaries she doesn’t like and others who seem to constitute a threat to her position,” the director alleged.
The source also claimed that after the President had approved the list for the deployment and redeployment of the permanent secretaries that was widely reported in the media, Yemi-Esan allegedly redeployed some permanent secretaries to ministries they were not initially assigned to and approved.
From the approved list, Dr. Evelyn Nkadi Ngige, who was redeployed from the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, was yet to report at her duty post and no one seems to know her current ministry.
It was also learnt that the HoSF had not redeployed Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan from the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to the Political and Economic Affair Office in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
A source privy to the alleged changes in the redeployment list claimed that “Mahmud Mamman, who is the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Works, was not listed for redeployment in the original list but was issued a letter by the HoSF to take over from Yakubu Adam Kofarmata in the Federal Ministry of Power even when Kofarmata was redeployed from Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) to Power in line with the approved list”.
Also, James Sule, who was in the President’s approved list from the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, was redeployed to Humanitarian and Poverty Alleviation.
But contrary to the President’s approval, he was redeployed to the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy.
Reacting to the allegations last night, the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) has said it is the core duty of the service to post permanent secretaries across the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The Director of Communications in the OHCSF, M. A. Ahmed, stated this in response to the claim by the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC) of Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) that the Head of Service of the Federation (HoSF), Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, does not have the power to appoint a permanent secretary for the FCT.
He said: “All permanent secretaries so far have accepted their postings. It is the duty of the HoS to assign them to various MDAs. Any permanent secretary who refuses posting for any reason will be dealt with according to the civil service rule.”
The HoSF did not respond last night to the statement by FCTA’s JUAC on whether or not the service has the power to assign permanent secretaries for the FCT.
