Edozie Udeojo,Abuja
The federal government has said that civil servants who leak official documents to the general public will be dismissed if apprehended and found culpable.
The Federal Government described the trend whereby government documents are now found in the public space as very embarrassing and has threatened to dismiss anyone found culpable in the civil service.
Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, Head of Service (HoS), who made this disclosure in a circular dated May 22, said leaking of official documents was an act of serious misconduct and it would not be condoned any longer.
Yemi-Esan called on permanent secretaries to draw the attention of their staff to the content of the circular, warning that whoever is caught in the act will be punished in accordance with the public service rules.
The circular, HCSF/109/S.1/120, was addressed to the following: Chief of Staff to the President, Office of the Vice President, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Permanent Secretaries, and Service Chiefs/Inspector-General of Police, and ministers, among others.
The HoS lamented the “unauthorised disclosure” of official government documents to social media platforms in recent months, saying civil servants engaged in such acts breached the provisions of the Public Service Rules nos. 030401 and 030402 and perpetrators risked being dismissed from service. She said the official documents, in some cases, were correspondences minuted on.
“This irresponsible and reckless action is an act of serious misconduct with a penalty of dismissal from service, as provided for in Public Service Rules Nos. 030401 and 030402. In some cases, official documents that have been minuted on are also leaked.
The ugly development is embarrassing to the government and, therefore, not acceptable. Any public officer caught engaging in this act of serious misconduct will be severely dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the Public Service Rules. Permanent secretaries are to draw the attention of all staff to the contents of this circular and the consequences of breaking the rules,” Yemi-Esan said.
It could be recalled that the draft of President Muhammadu Buhari’s speech was leaked a couple of weeks ago.
Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, also said the person who leaked the draft of the President’s speech has been apprehended.