Headline

Aso Rock’s Staff Take Oath of Secrecy

Published

4 years ago

July 28, 2021

Eric

The Permanent Secretary, State House, Tijjani Umar, has cautioned members of staff against divulging classified and unauthorised information.

Mr Umar handed down this warning on Tuesday in Abuja during the administration of oath of secrecy to some members of staff of the State House.

No fewer than 42 members of staff took the oath which was administered by Justice Hamza Muazu of the FCT High Court.

The permanent secretary warned that such unauthorised disclosure was a breach of the law and would attract ‘consequences’.

“I want to begin my remarks by saying that this exercise for me is the beginning of doing what is right in our respective offices.

“Breach of classified information and documents is inimical to the delivery of service.

“Therefore, we found it necessary to assist this segment of staff who are directly dealing with classified information.

“This is a very peculiar environment and, therefore, it is important to us to remind them about their duties, their oaths, their responsibilities in all those things they are handling and then the consequences of mishandling such kind of responsibilities,’’ he said.

According to Mr Umar, “those taking the oath are staff of the C-in-C Secretariat; that is, Secretariat of the President; staff from the Registry of the Vice President, staff from the Registry of Chief of Staff to the President and the staff of the Registry of the Permanent Secretary.”

He said that others were staff of the Secret Registry of the State House and the Open Registry.

“Cumulatively, these members of staff are the ones that from day to day handle some of the most sensitive information going back and forth in our offices and in our environment.

“It is very important to us to discharge our responsibility and our obligations and to let them understand that we are going to apply the rules.

“Government as an institution is held together by laws, by rules and by regulations and those laws, rules and regulations are there to be respected, to be enforced and any breach of that will always carry a consequence.”

He said an earlier lecture “was to properly sensitise the members of staff to official secrets laws and regulations and how to avoid deliberate breach of classified information”.

Mr Umar said the exercise would be continuous and expressed delight that “so far the State House had not recorded any breach of information.”

“We have not had any breach; we don’t anticipate having any breach.

“But then, it is 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 in his remark, the Director, Special Duties, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Tukur Yahaya, said the essence of the event was to ensure the safety and security of government information, documents and facilities.

He said “secrecy was binding on every government official”.

The oath taking featured a lecture on the Official Secret Act which focused on patriotism, passion, truthfulness, integrity, loyalty, reliability dedication to duty among others from government officials.

State House Counsel Geraldine Longsten also attended the exercise which was held at the State House Auditorium.

(NAN)

Headline

Insecurity: Akpabio Begs Tinubu to Reinstate Police Orderlies for NASS Members

Published

58 minutes ago

December 20, 2025

Eric

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to reconsider the directive withdrawing police orderlies from members of the National Assembly, citing safety concerns.

Akpabio made the appeal during the presentation of the 2026 budget to a joint session of the National Assembly, by President Tinubu, warning that some lawmakers fear they might be unable to return home safely following the withdrawal.

His said: “As we direct the security agencies to withdraw policemen from critical areas, some of the National Assembly said I should let you know they may not be able to go home today.

“On that note, we plead with Mr. President for a review of the decision.”

President Tinubu, on November 23, ordered the withdrawal of police officers attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs), directing that they be redeployed to core policing duties across the country.

According to Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Tinubu issued the directive after a security meeting with Service Chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) following heightened security issues in the country.

Under the order, VIPs requiring security are to seek protection from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, as the Federal government seeks to boost police presence in communities, particularly in remote areas grappling with insecurity.

Tinubu later reaffirmed the directive on December 10, moments before presiding over the Federal Executive Council, expressing frustration over delays in implementation.

He instructed the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to work with the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, and the Civil Defence Corps to immediately replace withdrawn escorts to avoid exposing individuals to danger.

“I honestly believe in what I said…It should be effected. If you have any problem because of the nature of your assignment, contact the IGP and get my clearance,” Tinubu said.

“The minister of interior should liaise IG and the Civil Defence structure to replace those police officers who are on special security duties.

“So that you don’t leave people exposed,” he said.

Headline

Defence Gulps Lion Share As Tinubu Presents N58.47trn 2026 Budget to NASS

Published

15 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Eric

President Bola Tinubu has presented a budget of N58.47 trillion for the 2026 fiscal year to a joint session of the National Assembly, with capital recurrent (non‑debt) expenditure standing at N15.25 trillion.

Tinubu presented the budget on Friday, pegging the capital expenditure at N26.08 trillion and putting the crude oil benchmark at US$64.85 per barrel.

He said the expected total revenue is N34.33 trillion, projected total expenditure: N58.18 trillion, including N15.52 trillion for debt servicing. The budget is N23.85 trillion, representing 4.28% of GDP.

The budget was anchored on a crude oil production of 1.84 million barrels per day, and an exchange rate of N1,400 to the US Dollar for the 2026 fiscal year.

In terms of sectoral allocation, defence and security took the lion’s share with N 5.41 trillion, followed by infrastructure at N3.56 trillion.

Headline

Mike Adenuga, Emmanuel Macron Hold High-Powered Meeting in Paris

Published

2 days ago

December 18, 2025

Eric

Accomplished billionaire businessman and Commander of the French Légion d’Honneur, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr., GCON, CdrLH, has held a private meeting with the French President, Emmanuel Macron.

The two powerful citizens of the world held the meeting on Wednesday at the historic Élysée Palace in Paris.

The high-level engagement underscores the longstanding relationship between Dr. Adenuga and the French Republic, as well as his continued relevance in global business and diplomatic circles.

A respected industrialist and philanthropist, Adenuga has been widely acknowledged for his contributions to economic development, telecommunications, energy, and humanitarian causes across Africa and beyond.

The meeting adds to Dr. Adenuga’s growing profile as a bridge between African enterprise and international leadership.