In a move to keep happenings in the Buhari presidency under
a veil of secrecy, staff of the office today swore to an oath of secrecy.
The Oath of Secrecy and Declaration of Secrecy was
administered to 42 staff of the State House by Justice Hamza Muazu of the FCT
High Court.
The Permanent Secretary, State House, Tijjani Umar warned
staff that disclosing confidential information without authorisation will
attract penalties under the public service rules.
The Permanent Secretary explained that the oaths were
administered to staff members who handle classified documents.
‘‘We discovered that due to deployment of officers and
retirement a number of our staff need to be placed under the radar so that they
will be aware that their jobs, the kind of documents or information they are
handling from day to day and beyond, are so important and must be safeguarded.
‘‘That’s the reason we decided to do the needful by
administering the Oath of Secrecy, highlighting the importance of letting them
know what information they are managing and the consequences of the breach of
such information,’’ he said.
The Permanent Secretary, who disclosed that the exercise
will be continuous, expressed delight that so far the State House has not
recorded any breach of information.
‘‘We have not had any breach. We don’t anticipate having any
breach.
‘‘But then it’s our duty to let them understand that if
there is any, there will be consequences after investigations and that also
includes after they have retired from the Civil Service,’’ he said.
Earlier before the administration of the Oaths, Mr Tukur
Yahaya, the Director of Special Services Department, Office of the Secretary to
the Government of the Federation, took the staff through sensitization,
explaining the essence of the Official Secrets Act, 1962.
‘‘The essence of this exercise is to ensure the safety and
security of government information, documents and facilities,’’ he said.
Civil servants by their training are expected not to divulge
official information without authorisation.
But to now compel them to swear to an oath is unprecedented
in the history of Nigeria.
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