The Presidency has administered an oath of secrecy on staff members and threatens severe sanctions on them if they reveal any unauthorized information.
The Permanent Secretary, State House, Tijjani Umar on Tuesday in Abuja warned the affected members of staff that disobedience will attract penalties as prescribed under the public service rules.
The administration of the Oath of Secrecy and Declaration of Secrecy was performed on the staff members by Justice Hamza Muazu of the FCT High Court, TrackNews Online understands.
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.
‘‘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 added.
According to Umar, the presidency is watching all concerned members of staff closely and there will be consequences for disobedience.
“This exercise is the beginning of doing what is right in various offices. The rules must be enforced and any breach carries a consequence.
“From now on, you are under the radar, we are going to watch and follow you,” 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.
