In a surprise move, President Muhammadu Buhari has sent the Head of
Service (HoS) of the federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita, on an indefinite
suspension.
He also named Folashade Yemi-Esan as the acting HoS โwith immediate effectโ.
Director of Information at the office of the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey, announced this in a
statement, yesterday.
Oyo-Ita is being probed by the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) over an alleged N3 billion contract scam.
Online medium, The Cable had reported how Oyo-Ita offered to proceed
on retirement over the probe but the president turned down her
request.
The anti-graft agency had questioned her over allegations that she
used front companies to get contracts when she was a permanent
secretary before her appointment as head of service by Buhari in 2015.
It was learnt that Oyo-Ita was not the subject of the probe. Former
minister of special duties, Kabiru Taminu Turaki was being
investigated by the EFCC after he stood as surety to Abdullahi
Babalele, son-in-law of Atiku Abubakar, in a case of alleged money
laundering.
It was in the process that the EFCC stumbled on a petition against
Oyo-Ita, dating to her time as permanent secretary under Turaki.
Until her appointment, Yemi-Esan was the permanent secretary, ministry
of petroleum resources.
Aside the appointment of the new head of service, the president
approved the extension of the tenure of seven retiring permanent
secretaries by a year, with effect from October 1, 2019.
They are: Georgina Ehuriah (interior), Ifeoma Anagbogu (women
affairs), Grace Gekpe (information), Umar Bello (agriculture and rural
development), Suleiman Lawal (foreign affairs), Comfort Ekaro (water
resources) and Olusegun Adekunle), โ general services office (Office
of the secretary to the government of the federation).
According to the statement by Bassey, this is to ensure stability in
the federal civil service and effective delivery on the nine priority
areas of the administration as well as the mandates given to the new
ministers.
