Sexual harassment: FG suspends perm sec, orders probe

The Office of the Head of Service has suspended Ambassador Ibrahim Lamuwa, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, due to an allegation of sexual harassment.  Head of Service, Folashade Yemi-Esan stated that Lamuwa will remain suspended pending the results of an investigation into the matter. “The permanent secretary has been suspended pending the outcome of the probe by the committee set up, “ a senior director in the OHCSF told our correspondent in Abuja. Following a petition submitted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar against Ambassador Ibrahim Lamuwa, the Head of Service established a committee to investigate the matter.  The petition, filed by Simisola Ajayi through her lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, accused Lamuwa of repeated sexual harassment and detailed the alleged incidents.  In a letter dated May 27, 2024, Tuggar conveyed his concern about the gravity of the allegations involving the permanent secretary to the Head of Service. “I am compelled to write to inform you of a formal complaint against the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ibrahim Adamu Lamuwa, on allegations of sexual harassment. “Bearing in mind the gravity of the matter, I feel it necessary to draw your attention to it and ask that you handle it accordingly,” the minister stated in the letter.

Defence Perm Sec Commissions 30-Seater Buses To Boost Staff Welfare

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana, mni has said that the Federal Government was committed to boosting the welfare of staff by providing incentives that would make them happy and be committed to their work. He stated this when he commissioned the state-of-the-art three 30-seater buses on Tuesday, at in Ship House, Abuja. Speaking during the commissioning, Dr. Kana said the buses were provided to support and augment the welfare of staff in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 8 Point Renewed Hope Agenda and to implement the Federal Civil Service Strategic and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP) reforms.  In addition, the Permanent Secretary said that the buses would ease transportation logistics that will contribute to a positive and motivated workforce. “As we celebrate this milestone, the Ministry reiterates its commitments to supporting the welfare and professional growth of the staff,” he said. He expressed his gratitude for the unwavering dedication of staff to work, saying to whom much is given, much is expected. Dr. Kana further stated that log book would be attached to the well-trained drivers in order to ensure maintenance and sustainability of the bus scheme which he hopes will continue to increase in numbers. The highpoint of the event was the test run of one of the buses by the Permanent Secretary to signal the commissioning of the well equipped 30-seater buses for use by the staff.

Drive Performance Management System process, Perm Sec charges mgt staff

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Police Affairs, Mr, Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan has charged the Directors and PMS champions to sustain and drive the Performance Management System (PMS) process in the consciousness of the staff toward successful implementation of the federal civil service reforms. The Permanent Secretary gave the charge during the ongoing four-day training on the Design and Implementation of a Performance Management System for the departmental champions towards institutionalization of the System at the headquarters of the Ministry of Police Affairs, Abuja. According to a statement by Deputy Director (Press) in the ministry, Bolaji O. Kazeem, Enitan said the workshop is a shift from the traditional Annual Performance Evaluation Report (APER) as it would enable objective assessment of staff adding that APER is not going to be in operation as from 2024 and the need for the Ministry to robustly implement PMS. In his words, “The APER is usually filled to suit ourselves by awarding marks that are not reflective of our works. The gaps in the APER are very obvious and the need to shift to a more realistic PMS policy in the civil service. The management came up with the idea of having a champion in each department and unit and they are expected to be the advocate of PMS to staff after the robust training facilitated for them” He said the PMS has come to stay and everyone should embrace it and the need for Directors/Champions in the Ministry to continue to create awareness and sustain the PMS process in the consciousness of the staff and should be cascaded along the ladder for full implementation in the Ministry. Earlier, the coordinator of the Performance Management System, Professor Adeyemi Ajayi, said one of the objectives of the training is to provide a broad understanding of the PMS as an effective tool for repositioning the public service to become efficient, productive, incorruptible, and citizen-centered service (EPIC) He added that the training will be practical oriented with exposure to Key Result Areas (KRAs), Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), SMART objectives, Performance review, Roles and Responsibilities, and Monitoring and Evaluations Mechanisms.