NEWS ANALYSIS: Why Ministers must listen to Permanent Secretaries, By Okoi Obono-Obla

I thought when the present crop of ministers were appointed, that was a retreat held to prepare them for the onerous responsibilities that they were saddled wit

I expect that ministers and other top government functionaries should be exposed to knowledge concerning the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria;1999, the Code of Conduct Provisions of the Constitution,the Federal Government Financial Regulations(FGFR) ; 2009 ,the Finance Act 2022,the Money Laundering Act 2022 and other relevant extant regulations and laws.

Ministers are the Political Heads of their various ministries .

Permanent secretaries are the professionals that are familiar and conversant with the Public Service Rules,the Federal Government Financial Regulations, etc.

Permanent Secretaries are the Chief Accounting Officer of their various ministries .

They are experts in the Federal Government Financial Regulations.

They know the nitty ,gritty ,mechanics, and intricacies of the civil service.

Any minister that arrogantly and ignorantly refused or failed or neglected to follow or listen and take the advice of his or her Permanent Secretary will definitely hit the rock and make avoidable mistakes.

For instance, section 713 of the FGFR provides that personal money shall in no circumstances be paid into a government account,nor shall any public money be paid into a private bank account.
An officer who pays public money into a private account is deemed to have done so with fraudulent intention.

By virtue of section 106 of FGFR, the accountant general of the Federation is the Head of the Federal Government Accounting Services and the Treasury.

Section 111 of the FGFR stipulates that The Term Accounting Officer means the Permanent Secretary of a ministry or the Head of extra ministerial office and other arms of government who is in full control of,and is responsible for human ,material and financial resources which are critical inputs in the management of an organization.

The scandal in the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the Nigerian Social Investment Agency would have been avoided if the officials manning the entities were conversant with the Federal Government Financial Regulations and other extant laws and regulations .

@ Okoi Obono-Obla