In a leaked circular issued by Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Federal Government (FG) has outlined measures to address the incessant leakage of official documents within Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
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Dated February 19, 2024, the circular, bearing reference number HCSF/3065/VI/189, was addressed to principal officers across various branches of the Nigerian government, including the Chief of Staff to the President, Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Service Chiefs, and heads of key commissions and agencies.
Expressing dismay over the rising cases of document leaks, the circular deems such incidents as embarrassing and unacceptable to the government.
It outlines steps to be taken to mitigate this issue, focusing on the adoption of digitalized workflow systems and the effective deployment of the Enterprise Content Management (ECM) Solution.
Permanent Secretaries are instructed to expedite the migration to digitalized workflow systems to reduce physical handling of documents, thus minimizing the chances of leakage and unauthorized circulation.
Additionally, they are tasked with warning staff against engaging in the unauthorized disclosure or circulation of official information, with severe consequences promised for any officer found culpable.
The circular reinforces previous directives regarding the unauthorized circulation of official documents, citing a previous circular dated August 24, 2021, and other regulations governing the disclosure of official information.
Yemi-Esan urged the Permanent Secretaries to ensure strict compliance with the directives outlined in the circular and to communicate these measures to the heads of agencies under their supervision.
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