Buhari warns civil servants against graft, indiscipline
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari
yesterday swore in 16 of the 18
permanent secretaries of the federal civil
service recently appointed with a
warning that acts capable of derailing
the attainment of the current
administration’s change agenda would
be viewed with all seriousness and dealt
with accordingly.
Restating the need for the permanent
secretaries as tools for the
implementation of government’s
policies, the President noted that the
administration believe that the role of
civil servants in that regard was
paramount, and warned that if they
misadvised their political leaders, the
ministers, it would be difficult to realise
the government objective.
Buhari explained that present
administration, conscious of the high
expectations of Nigerians in terms of
integrity chose to jettison the previous
written and oral methods of selecting
permanent secretaries and instead
resorted to rigorous processes, which
among others, included, but not limited
to integrity, personal and official
conducts.
In keeping with the change mantra of
this administration the process for your
selection as Permanent Secretaries was a
departure from the previous practice of
administering written and oral
examinations. Instead, a more rigorous
selection process, entailing vigorous
screening of candidates’ past records,
potential and capacity for holding the
office, integrity, honesty and sense of
commitment was adopted.
I believe this new selection technique
will have, hopefully brought up to light
some of the best, dedicated, patriotic and
hardworking civil servants to hold this
position of trust. It is my hope that your
subsequent conduct and performance
will not prove this administration
wrong.
I must, however, sound a note of
warning. It is within public domain that
Ministers as Chief Executives of their
Ministries as well as other government
officials involved in policy formulation
and implementation often complain of
the intolerable levels of incompetence,
indifference or even suspected sabotage
by some of the top echelon of the civil
service.
“Even where Permanent Secretaries, in
some instances, are exempted from these
accusations, they are still responsible
and liable for failing to provide the
required leadership, control and
direction.
“This administration will not condone
any excesses, indifference,
incompetence, and corrupt practices in
any form. Permanent Secretaries are
therefore advised to note these words of
caution and disseminate them to all civil
servants accordingly.”
The President described Permanent
Secretaries as the chief advisers to their
respective ministers and is responsible
for safeguarding public funds and
ensuring the propriety of expenditures
under their control. They are also
responsible for coordinating their
respective bureaucracies as well as
ensuring effective implementation of all
approved Government programmes and
policies.
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