Senior officers to Buhari: tackle civil service rot

A group of senior civil servants has appealed for President Muhammadu Buhari’s intervention to prevent the Federal Civil Service from ‘total collapse’.

The civil servants said rules on career progression have been manipulated and jettisoned by successive chief executives of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) and Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF).

The group said the rot in the service was deeper than what ordinary Nigerians could comprehend.

The senior officers backed their claims with evidence of disregard for rules appointment and promotion of officers, regretting that the “current unimpressive input of civil service to national development is the direct consequence of the rot in the system”.

For instance, it was gathered that contrary to the rules book, the result for 2014 promotion examination for Directorate level conducted for Deputy Directors was released without scores attached.

They said it was the first time such would occur.

Though the scores were not released, of the 138 that took the examination, the authorities’ list for those promoted contained 23 names.

Again, in violation of extant rules, another batch of 10 names was released after the first list became a subject of agitation.

According to the aggrieved senior officers, corruption is responsible for the piecemeal release of the result, which has never occurred since the introduction of promotion examination for civil servants.

A source, who pleaded anonymity, said: “I make bold to say that I gathered that it was because there was no vacancy that is why the situation was like that.

“Yes, 60 per cent was the cut off mark and it was believed more than 98 per cent of them must have scored above that, but the question is how can it be ascertained whether they passed or not if the scores were not displayed?

“Another intriguing angle to the issue is that after it dawned on the authorities that the aggrieved officers were not going to stop their protest, another batch of 10 names was released.

“It has never happened before. It was even learnt that another batch of 35 names that included those that did not partake in the examination was about to be released, but they couldn’t go ahead with that.

“Meanwhile, the implication for those whose names weren’t on the two lists was that they failed the examination. Now, they were being asked to take another examination this year. Though it was to hold in early this month, but the situation could not allow them to go on with it.

“That is the major concern. They cannot take an examination that they passed twice and that was a precedence to back their action.

“If the reason for the list they released was due to lack of vacancy, then they should wait till there is space, but they should not be made to take it again against the rules”.

The source said the reason behind the action of the Chairman of FCSC and the HCSF was basically corruption

“I believe that it was to fix their own candidates into the available vacancies, including those that did not take part in the examination that led to this situation.

“There are evidences to prove many of these manipulations and I think it will do the civil service and the future of this country a lot of good to expose these absurdities.”

A document obtained by The Nation showed how the FCSC and the OHCSF allegedly destroyed the civil service in the last six years.

The document reads in part: “In utter violation of extant Public Service rules, in 2013, several unqualified officers were brought into the service from unscheduled private sector organization, including MTN, and placed on the post of Director (Administration) and Director (Accounts) above serving officers.

“Some hundreds of new entrants were recruited in the guise of ‘regularisation’ into the service as Directorate cadre officers on Grade level 17 among the hordes of aides of political appointees of President Goodluck Jonathan”.

The role played by the FCSC and the OHCSF in the rot was also pronounced in the abuse of Presidential waiver.

It was also stated in the document that “the Presidential waiver was wantonly utilised by the FCSC and the OHCSF as a licence for wholesome and arbitrariness.

“While President Jonathan approved waiver of five Directors for two South-South states and two Directors for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) because they were disadvantaged,  FCSC Chairman, on her own, added two more states, just to be able to bring in her cronies.

“Even at that, due process was not followed as internal advertisement was not published that would have enabled qualified Deputy Directors to apply.

“In the last six years, the two bodies  have used corrupt means to fast track career advancement of their cronies, using all manner of means, including ‘regularisation’, ‘proper placement’, ‘advancement’, ‘conversion’, and ‘upgrading’ to place their favoured candidates on abnormal levels in violation of all known rules.

“For instance, one Joseph Erim was moved from Grade level 09 to Grade level 16 before being moved to Grade level 17 three months after.

“Promotion in the service today has become a case of just anybody with the right connection or a big purse can be promoted or transferred to the post of Director”.

It said: “Currently, there is a Director in the National Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) that has never worked as a civil servant before.

“These are facts that can be verified by intelligence agencies. So, what value do we expect officers like these to add to the system?”

The rot in the service was also linked to the unprofessional ways appointments of Heads of Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF) were handled in the recent times.

The incumbent HCSF and four of his predecessors were either not core civil servants or recruited without due process, it was revealed.

Against extant rules that only administrative officer can become the Head of Service, the incumbent HCSF, Danladi Kifasi, is a Chartered Accountant.

None of the last four HCSF was recruited at entry point of Grade level 08.

“Even as we speak, a Radiographer is a Permanent Secretary in the OHCSF.

“To drive home the point on how deep the rot in the Federal Civil Service is, adherence to entry point rules was jettisoned long time ago.

“Entry points in the civil service are Grade level 08 to 12, not beyond 12. Today, officers are being recruited even at Directorate level.

“As a matter of fact, Stephen Osagiede Oronsaye was never a civil servant, he was recruited into the service as a director and he even became the HCSF.

“This could be one of the reasons why a 2004 Presidential directive similar to our case was conveniently ignored.

“The directive, dated September 7, 2004 and signed by Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, Special Adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo, stated that those that have taken the promotion examination should not be made to take a fresh examination on the basis of lack of vacancy.

“President Obasanjo intervened because the matter was also subjected to litigation. Obasanjo’s intervention saved the situation and the needful was done. But in this case, there was no such intervention and that is why I think they are going ahead with the court option,” the source added.