Investigation of the alleged age falsification and service elongation by some top officials in the federal government’s ministries, departments and agencies has begun by the House of Representatives’ Committee on Public Petitions.
The committee in its letter to the Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission, Tukur Ingawa; and Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, demands records of the permanent secretaries, directors and other officials mentioned in the petition.
The probe is based on a petition filed by a Civil Society Organisation, Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum, dated March 11, 2021, and addressed to the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, which was read on the floor of the House.
The three-page petition was signed by the President, Sola Williams; and Secretary, Victoria Abam.
The petition partly read, “We wish to ask the House of Representatives through her Committee on Public Petitions to investigate the various allegations of irregularities and illegalities being perpetuated by Permanent Secretaries, Directors and Assistant Directors in the Ministries, Departments, Agencies and Parastatals and supervised by Federal Civil Service Commission and Head of Civil Service of the Federation between 2015 and 2022.
“We the petitioners, through an intelligence gathering and research, have discovered falsification and doctoring of documents by some Permanent Secretaries, Directors and Assistant Directors in the various ministries like Ministries of Agric, Sports, Head of Service office manned by I. A. Mairiga, Public Service Commission, especially office of recruitment and appointment manned by Ibrahim Anjuga, State House Asokoro; Ministries of Power, Environment, Special Duties, Labour and Productivity and some agencies and parastatals.
“That surprisingly the above irregularities are being superintended knowingly or unknowingly by the Federal Civil Service Commission (Recruitment and Appointment Section).
“Therefore, Mr. Speaker, your Committee on Public Petitions must unravel these irregularities by requesting the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service and the Head of Service to produce a comprehensive list of the Permanent Secretaries, Directors and Assistant Directors in the above ministries, departments, agencies and parastatals for scrutiny and investigation.”
Consequently, Chairman, House Committee on Public Petitions, Jerry Alagbaoso, has written to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission in a letter dated March 29, 2022, received on March 31, 2022; with Reference Number NASS/99HR/CT.5; and the titled ‘Request for Names and Personnel Records.’
The invitation reads, “The above committee is investigating a petition laid on the floor of our chambers on 29th March, 2022, regarding the falsifications and doctoring of ages, dates of births and vital credentials of some Permanent Secretaries, Directors and Deputy Directors of MDAs and parastatals as well as unauthorised extensions of service tenures by the Federal Civil Service Commission and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation between 2015 and 2022.”