Jonathan Tasks Permanent Secretaries On Anti-Corruption War

Permanent secretaries in federal ministries have been urged by President Goodluck Jonathan to assist the federal government in fighting corruption.

Jonathan said this Wednesday when swearing in four permanent secretaries and a member of the Federal Civil Service Commission, noting that it has become imperative for the new appointees to join his administration’s efforts at fighting corruption.

The four permanent secretaries are Mohammed Abbas (Kaduna), Mohammed Bukar (Yobe), Rasheed Adelakun (Lagos) and Abubakar Magaji (Zamfara). The new member of the Federal Civil Service Commission is Alhaji Sirajo Mohammed (Kano).

“You should know that these are days where a world is a global village, everything you do is known to others and of course, people are talking of corruption in this country,” Jonathan said.

“We believe that you are coming to the system with new blood, new vigour, new commitment and these should be brought to bear in terms of our collective efforts to fight corruption in our society,” he said.

The president commended the merit introduced and sustained in the appointment of permanent secretaries, stressing that the appointment made by his administration was strictly based on merit.

“The appointment of permanent secretary is one position that nobody will say there is influence.

“If there is influence, the Office of the Head of Service has to be probed. They are appointed based on merit and sometimes, when I see the record, I feel sad at some point.

“This is because the score sometimes could be close and somebody could miss the appointment by just one mark.

“That is what we have been doing over the period and the nation expects continued dedicated service from them in their new position,” he added.

According to him, the reform carried out in the Federal Civil Service Commission by his administration had curtailed the menace of “job and promotion for money”. He therefore gave kudos to the leadership of the commission for carrying out the reform.

“For our friend who is coming to the Federal Civil Service Commission, we congratulate you for the appointment.

“Not too long ago, when I read in the paper that civil service is no longer a place where you induce people to get promotion, I was happy about this.

“If the federal civil service will take bribe to promote, that means that the federal civil service is breeding corrupt officers in the system,” he said.