The Head of Service of the Federation (HOSF), Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, has been accused of tinkering with the list of 24 permanent secretaries approved for deployment by President Bola Tinubu.
The President had on January 24, approved the redeployment of the 24 permanent secretaries to various ministries.
However, the HOSF allegedly made some changes on the list approved by the President “in order to favour certain persons close to her for selfish and pecuniary interests.”
Sources described her action as a gross violation of administrative procedure, protocol and directives.
“This is an impunity and a clear attempt to favour certain cronies and punish some Permanent Secretaries she doesn’t like and others who seem to constitute threat to her position”, the source said.
The source added that, “Even after the President approved the list for the deployment and redeployment of the permanent secretaries that was widely reported in the media, Yemi-Esan, subtly tinkered with the list and redeploy permanent secretaries to ministries other than what was approved by the President”.
According noted that “The implication is that, Nigerians and the global community doing business with the civil service may be thrown in the dark and be shocked at the HOSF’s impunity that can best be described as insubordination and disregard to constituted authority as well as forgery and renunciation of a presidential approval”.
He said“From the approved list, Dr, (Mrs.) 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.
“Equally, the Head of Service has refused to redeploy Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan from the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to the Political and Economic Affair Office, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.”
Other sources privy to the alleged manipulation of the President’s approved list, also said, “Mahmud Mamman, who is the Permanent Secretary of Federal Ministry of Works, was not listed for redeployment in the original list, however, he 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.
“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, however, contrary to the approval, he was redeployed to the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy.
Officials privy to HOSF’s style of leadership described her as the first Head of Service that is in love with office gossips.
“She has zero tolerance for permanent secretaries whom she sees as capable of taking over from her and those who are not in her good books.”
The HOSF is also being accused of allegedly surrounding herself with junior permanent secretaries that can not step into her shoes whenever she is away on official duty abroad.
According to sources, “Whenever she leaves, everything stops until she returns.
“A good example was Mr. President’s last approval of 2nd January 2024, on the redeployment of Permanent Secretaries, which was kept in view until her returns from annual leave on 9th January 2024.
“She’s too sensitive to information provided to her by information peddlers”.
The redeployment of Gabriel Tanimu Aduda from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs may not be unconnected with the intense supremacy struggle between the HOSF and the most senior civil servant who has been redeployed to the Ministry of Women Affairs.
“Yemi-Esan is subtly engaged in petty fights to justify her ego. Gabriel Tanimu Aduda and Esther Didi Walson Jack are the most senior Permanent Secretaries after her. Between her and the duo, there is no love lost as there has been insinuation that Aduda was engaged in plotting for her job and for deliberately refusing to cover her tracks while she was the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. In that regard, she has now sent him to a far lesser ministry notwithstanding his seniority and enormous experience. To ensure she is insulated from any threat of being replaced, she is favourably disposed to appointing young permanent secretaries to work in her office.
“The implication is that anytime she’s not around, no one can be appointed as the HOSF in acting capacity,” said some sources.
“It was alleged that since her emergence as HOSF in 2019, the number one nation’s civil servant has formed a club of cronies that have continued to be her eyes and ears, thereby culminating into a violation of extant rules to her advantage. “The distribution of new portfolios to some of the newly appointed permanent secretaries, according to insiders, is a strategy adopted by HOSF in appointing newly appointed perm secs to join her club of cabal in undermining the rules of the Service.
“Some sources alleged that the deployment of newly appointed Permanent Secretaries, Rimi Nura Abba, (Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment), Ella Nicholas Agbo (Ministry of Petroleum Resources), Watti Tinuke (Federal Ministry of Sports Development) and Ndayako Aishetu Gogo (Federal Ministry of Interior) were purely done to favour certain persons close to the HOSF for selfish and pecuniary interests.”
Efforts to get the reaction of the HOSF was unsuccessful.
