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Smear Campaign Against Head of Service Oyo-Ita unveiled

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Relying on old tactics, a band of critics have leveled a new series of claims against Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita.

Documents cited by this newspaper accused her of breaching civil service rules by appointing Mr Olusegun Adekunle as PS GSO above other Permanent Secretaries considered as his senior in the service.

The HOS was also accused of  undermining cohesion and discipline in the civil service.

A top civil service officer in the know said there was no law or government regulation that determines the posting of a Permanent Secretary because of “seniority”.

” Its a devilish alliance with the aim of ruining the reputation of the HOS.”

‘ Those behind the plot are allegedly planning to blackmail the HOS into re-deploying Adekunle so as to make way for one of them to occupy the seat, a position considered by civil servants as “powerful and juicy” , he said.

“Perm Secs are often posted more on their capacity and abilities, especially in the area of administration and their personal maturity, and there is really nothing like ‘senior Perm Sec’ or ‘junior Perm Sec” he further explained.

“There have been many instances of relatively fresh new Perm Secs who have done excellently well. For example Mohammed Bukar, the current Permanent Secretary in the ministry of Works & Housing cut his teeth as PS General Services Office (GSO), OSGF. He performed exceptionally well, despite the fact that it was his first posting.  No one has questioned the fact that he was a new Perm Sec, said a current Permanent Secretary speaking under the condition of anonymity.

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“Moreover, Mohammed Bukar was posted as PS GSO at a time when the current PS Ecological Funds is senior to him.

He also said that when the former Head of Service, Goni Aji was first appointed PS, his first posting was to the Ministry of Defence. It was the same with Engineer John Chukwu when he was appointed PS. His very first posting was to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), a massive establishment. There was no outcry from any quarter that he was “too fresh” for the job.

The orchestrated campaign of calumny is aimed at smearing the name and rubbishing the efforts of Oyo-Ita, he said.

The campaigners want to disparage the achievements recorded as regards the reform of civil service and welfare of civil servants, especially the laudable initiatives such as the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2017-2020 and the Quarterly Breakfast Meeting with the leadership of the civil service unions.

An officer in the office of the HoS in response to Per Second News enquiry said she’s not aware of any plot but “any gang up by highly unpatriotic elements would not deter the office  of the Head of Service from its focused and determined efforts of carrying out duties diligently, responsibly and professionally.

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