President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday, made good his threat to deal ruthlessly with top civil servants who altered figures in the 2016 budget thereby making nonsense of his zero budget plan.
No fewer than 184 top budget officials were flushed out of budget duties and sent to establishments that have little or nothing to do with budget, as a punishment for their roles in padding this year’s fiscal document, now before the National Assembly.
A top official in the Budget office confirmed that 22 top officers from the Budget Office of the Federation were affected in the mass deployment. The rest were moved away from budget-related duties in other Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs.
It was learnt that out of the 22 top officials indicted in the budget office, four were directors on Level 17, six were deputy directors while 12 were Assistant directors.
As the affected officials were moved from their posts in the Budget Office, 14 other directors said to have been ‘tested’ have been redeployed to the same office with immediate effect. The order to remove the tainted officials from their previous posts to other duties, was conveyed to the affected offices by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation.
All the affected officers, according to the directive, are to report in their new locations on or before the close of work today. When contacted, the Media Adviser to the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Mr. Akpadem James, confirmed the development but declined to give further details.
It would b recalled that while in Saudi Arabia last month, President Buhari had threatened to punish all those who were involved in the padding of the budget. Apart from removing the director of budget, he also merged the budget office with the planning ministry.
How lucky can they be, redeployed, not sack. Padding machines.
ReplyDeleteI wonder. This only goes to strengthen corruption since this demonstrates that no corrupt civil servant will ever be dismissed.
DeleteThey should have been dismissed!!!
ReplyDeleteA cover up for ineficiency
ReplyDeleteI trust PMB subsequently he will dismiss then bastart
ReplyDeleteand so, what penalty? does redeployment from budget-related duties connote demotion? Is that a disciplinary action? Buhari should have suspended them indefinitely without salary, or even sack the major players. They are all kidding, gambling with the destiny of a whole nation.Help tell Mr President to CHANGE his strategy!
ReplyDeleteDemotion is OK. You don't weed out your most experienced personnel just like that without capable hands to replace them.
ReplyDeleteThe appropriate punishment would have been to
ReplyDelete1. publish their names
2. sack all of them
3. prosecute them and
4 send them to prison.
I stongly doubt the fight against corruption.
I agree with you Hassan. By the time such actions will be taken within three different locations,be sure we may not get enough competent hands to manage vital positions. I hope I'm wrong.
ReplyDeleteWait, didn't Lie Moh'd said the budget was not padded? So how come dis news again?I think it's becoming clearer dat Lai is a lier or he is not on d same page with his boss.
ReplyDeleteIt is easier to hire officers into the public service than to dismiss them. The disciplinary procedure is cumbersome and there is no way you can possibly sack 184 people at ago without paying heavily for it. The government cant even succeed if they go to the court to challenge their dismissal. Redeployment is the best option.
ReplyDeleteRedeployment and given trial to try their loyalty to the nation. I believe there's crime in deployment, that what ministry is all about. You are not to be too long on a seat, you must be prepared to familiarize yourself in the whole department. Kudos to our learnered president
ReplyDeleteMay be they were shouting Sai Baba too that is why he left them or they trekked from Lagos to Daura for Baba
ReplyDelete