A Civil Society Organisation, CSO, Civil Society Groups for Good Governance, CSGGG, on Wednesday, called on President Mohammadu Buhari; the Secretary General of the Federation, SGF, and the Head of Service, to hasten the appointment of a new Accountant General of the Federation.
This was even as they specifically noted that the delay has "stirred the hornets’ nest, with attendant infighting and rift tearing treasury staff apart – public employees who should otherwise be channeling their creative energies towards managing the nation’s finances better."
The President, CSGGG, Comrade Ogakwu Dominic Ogakwu, who made this call during a press conference, aimed at addressing the discordant issues arising with respect to the vacant office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, in Abuja, said that the role of the AGF can not be overemphasized as the country is faced with "crippling challenges", seeing the depleting and almost empty national treasury.
He, however, called on the Head of Service of the Federation, to rise to the occasion in defense of her oath of office, ensuring that the public service rule is strictly observed to the letter.
According to him, therefore, to arrest this untoward development and set the Nation’s public Service back on the right trajectory, CSGGG hereby calls on President Muhammadu Buhari, the Head of Service of the federation, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and all those who are entrusted with the sanctity of our public service system, to immediately do the needful and put an end to this unholy trend of making a mockery of our public service and turning Nigeria into a laughing stock in the league of nations.
"Besides, CSGGG vehemently believes that apart from the fact that the most senior Director is being denied the entitlements due him or her for his or her diligent service to our fatherland, it is also true that our nation is mindlessly being robbed of the wealth of experience which that individual has garnered over the years, in readiness to bail the nation out of the current financial challenges bedeviling her.
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"In any case, our major concern here is that this inaction – be it by commission or omission - has stirred the hornets’ nest, with attendant infighting and rift tearing treasury staff apart – public employees who should otherwise be channeling their creative energies towards managing the nation’s finances better, so as to get Nigeria out of the woods and give Nigerians a breath of life!", he added.
He went further to suggest that it would be somewhat recuperating if "the most senior director in the Federal Ministry of Finance, to be redeployed to the Office of the Accountant-General as the acting accountant general of the federation, pending when a substantive Accountant-General of the Federation would be appointed."
He, however, bemoaned the current recruitment process adopted to appoint a new AGF, stating that there is an attempt to put forward a certain category of individuals.
He advised the Head of Service to be transparent in scheming out a competent individual who would occupy the seat of the AGF.
"Another issue which this press conference seeks to address is the opaque manner in which the current recruitment process for a substantive Accountant-General of the federation is being carried out. An assessment of the process reveals that there is an obvious attempt to scheme out a certain category of individuals. A close look reveals that the process of selecting a substantive Accountant-General of the Federation has been monopolized as an exclusive club boasting of only Directors from 2017, systematically scheming out others who have equally spent their lifelong years in the service of their fatherland.
"As a group, we strongly believe that the Head of Service of the Federation is not only a respected citizen but also a just and fair human being, who has the requisite know-how to select a competent exchequer for our nation’s treasury. We are therefore drawing her attention to these issues to enable her to do the needful, as we remain unrepentantly confident in her sense of judgment", he said.
