Personnel from agencies under the Presidency have expressed concerns about the oversight visits being undertaken by the Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
In separate interviews , they argued that such an oversight is traditionally the responsibility of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and the National Assembly.
On August 22, Gbajabiamila began the “fact-finding exercises and familiarisation tours”, which have seen him conduct on-the-site assessments of key agencies under the Presidency.
The agencies he has so far visited include the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
Others are the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON).
It was reliably gathered that prior to the Chief of Staff’s visits, heads of the agencies had been summoned to a meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the State House on July 30, where they were briefed on what to expect during these visits.
The chief executives of the agencies were said to have been told that the visits were part of a broader initiative to ensure the agencies adhere strictly to the established regulations and guidelines, including the Public Service Rules (PSR), which govern employments, promotions, and other administrative guidelines.
They were, according to sources, also cautioned against carrying out employments without securing “appropriate waivers”, and that when such waivers were obtained, the recruitment process must not jeopardise the career progression of existing officers.
They were also said to have been instructed that all promotions, conversions, upgrading, and discipline matters for 2024 must be concluded not later than the end of this month.
Daily Trust
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