Federal Government Issues Stern Warning to MDAs Against Document Leaks

The Federal Government has expressed its concern over the increasing incidents of leaked sensitive documents from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), describing it as “very embarrassing.”

Recent leaks have brought to light several controversial revelations, including a memo exposing George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), requesting N1 billion for a minimum wage committee, and another revealing that Betta Edu, the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, received N3 billion for COVID-19 fund verification.

In response to these leaks, Folasade Yemi-Esan, Head of Civil Service of the Federation, issued a memo on February 19, urging Permanent Secretaries to expedite the transition to a digitalized workflow system. The memo stressed the importance of deploying the Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Solution to minimize physical handling of official documents, thereby curbing the rising trend of leaks.

Yemi-Esan emphasized that the current situation is unacceptable and has instructed Permanent Secretaries to caution their staff against unauthorized disclosure and circulation of official information. The memo warns of severe consequences for any officer found engaging in such activities, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Public Service Rules and other applicable circulars.

This circular reinforces the government’s commitment to preventing the unauthorized circulation of official documents, as outlined in the August 2, 2021 circular on “Unauthorized Circulation of Official Documents/Information On Social Media.” Permanent Secretaries are urged to ensure strict compliance with the latest directive and communicate its contents to the heads of the agencies under their supervision.