In response to concerns over document leaks within Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation has issued a stern warning to civil servants.
This warning comes in the wake of a recent call by the Presidency for an investigation into the civil service framework to root out individuals allegedly loyal to the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), referred to as “moles.”
The Presidency asserts that these moles are responsible for unauthorized disclosures of classified documents.
A leaked internal memo revealed alleged authorization by President Bola Tinubu for the disbursement of N500 million, part of a larger sum of N1 billion, to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.
This fund was intended for the inauguration of a 37-member Tripartite Committee tasked with determining the New National Minimum Wage.
Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, emphasized severe punishment for those caught leaking government memos.
The warning, issued in a circular dated February 19, 2024, was distributed to various government bodies and officials, urging compliance with measures to curtail document leaks.
These measures include the fast-tracking of migration to digitalized workflow systems and the deployment of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Solutions to reduce physical contact with official documents.
Permanent Secretaries are instructed to strongly caution staff against leaking and circulating official information, with severe consequences outlined for non-compliance.
The circular reinforces existing directives on the unauthorized circulation of official documents/information on social media and calls for strict compliance from all agencies under their supervision.