The Federal Government has prohibited officials from government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies from disseminating unverified information.
The directives was contained in a memo signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, and dated May 2, 2023, with Ref.No.Z.4 XXXIV 943.
The restriction, according to Mustapha, is intended to reduce conflicting and contradictory information disseminated by its agencies.
The memo was addressed to the President’s Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, the Vice President’s Office, Ministers/Ministers of State, the Federation’s Head of Civil Service, the National Security Adviser, the President’s Economic Adviser, and Special Advisers/Senior Special Assistants.
The memo revealed that;
The prevalence of discordant statements by public officials on issues especially, bordering on purported shortcomings of Institutions of Government, have been observed.
These statements are often, made in public without necessarily, cross-checking with responsible Ministries, extra-ministerial Departments, and Agencies thereby, seeming to disparage such institutions.
More so, the statements tend to be traducing and do not portray “One Government” and as such, create a negative perception among the citizenry.
The memo also copies the Chief of Defence Staff/Service Chiefs/Inspector-General of Police, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau, the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, and the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Chairman of the National Population Commission, the Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission, the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, and the Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission are all copied on the memo.
Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Extra-Ministerial Departments, Clerks of the National Assembly, Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Secretary of the National Judicial Council, Accountant General of the Federation, Auditor General of the Federation, Surveyor General of the Federation, Director General/Chief Executive of parastatals, agencies, and Government owned companies are also on the list.
