FG Redeploys 99 Directors to Five New Ministries

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The federal government has posted 99 directors on Salary Grade Level 15-17 to stabilise and provide managerial manpower for the five ministries created in August by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The number, THISDAY learnt, was about 38.5 per cent or more than one-third of the 254 newly promoted and existing directorate level officers in the pool of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, who were redeployed this month to fill vacancies in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The exercise will allow the new ministries overcome the challenges usually associated with running new establishments.

The five ministries that received 99 directors out of the deployed 254 directorate officials were Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development; Aviation, Power, Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs; and Police Affairs.

The senior officers were redeployed on October 4, via a circular, signed by the Director, in the Office of the Permanent Secretary (CMO) Mrs A.I. Attah, on behalf of the Acting Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan.

The deployment processes were expected to have been completed by October 11.

Mrs Attah addressed the circular : HCSF/CMO/002/S.II/T.3/II/413 to the Chief of Staff to the President; Secretary to the Government of the Federation; Ministers; Secretary; National Judicial Council; Chairman, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission; and Accountant General of the Federation, among others.

Although, it could be inferred from the exercise that a few of the officials that were affected were either programme analysts, librarians or statisticians, the vast majority were drawn from the administrative cadre.

From the breakdown sighted by THISDAY, the largest number of senior officers was posted to the Police Affairs and Humanitarian Affairs ministries.

While 32 officers were deployed to Police Affairs, Humanitarian Affairs got 28 officers.

Others were; Aviation Ministry, 19; Special Duties, 16; while Ministry of Power received three.

It would be recalled that in August, the Civil Service Commission promoted 1,780 civil servants during the 2018 Directorate Level promotion exercise.