Nigerian government threatens public servants divulging official information without authorisation 

Public servants in the country may be in for a raw deal as the Federal Government on Monday said it would decisively deal with any public servant that divulged official information without due authorization.

The Director of Information at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Olawunmi Ofunmosunle, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

“The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, HOS, Dr. Folasade Yemi –Esan has noted with displeasure the recent unfortunate disclosure of unauthorized official documents in the social media. These official documents in some cases are correspondence minuted on”, the statement said.

The statement was contained in a circular issued by the HOS on 22nd May, 2020 and made available to journalists on Monday.

Read also: Here’s how public servants can lead by example -Lawmaker

@media screen and (min-width: 1201px) { .zmmiz5ecbd2ef26413 { display: block; } } @media screen and (min-width: 993px) and (max-width: 1200px) { .zmmiz5ecbd2ef26413 { display: block; } } @media screen and (min-width: 769px) and (max-width: 992px) { .zmmiz5ecbd2ef26413 { display: block; } } @media screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 768px) { .zmmiz5ecbd2ef26413 { display: block; } } @media screen and (max-width: 767px) { .zmmiz5ecbd2ef26413 { display: block; } }

The Head of Service, Dr. Yemi-Esan, according to the statement described the development as “embarrassing to government,” noting that “such irresponsible and reckless action is an act of serious misconduct with a penalty of dismissal from service as provided in Public Service Rules, PSR. Nos. 030401 and 030402.”

She further said that henceforth, any public officer caught engaging in “this act of serious misconduct will be severely dealt with in accordance with the provisions of the PSR.”

The statement further disclosed that the Head of Service thereafter directed Permanent Secretaries to draw the attention of their staff to the content of the circular as well as the consequences of breaking the rules.

Opinions