THE Nigerian government has warned civil servants against the unauthorised display of official documents on social media and other platforms, threatening to dismiss officials found guilty of the practice.
This warning was contained in a circular issued by The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Folasade Yemi-Esan, spotted by The PUNCH on Tuesday,
Yemi-Esan said officials who continuously disclose classified government information would be dismissed based on the provisions of the Public Service Rules (PSR).
“This reckless action is tantamount to a breach of the Oath of Secrecy public servants swore to, and a serious misconduct which may lead to dismissal from the service, as provided in the Public Service Rules 030401 and 030402.
“Henceforth, any officer caught posting/reporting government documents on social media and other platforms without authorisation would be severely disciplined in accordance with the provisions of the PSR,” it read.
Urging all staff to comply with the warning issued in the circular, Yemi-Esan referred the officials to an earlier warning issued over a year ago and other relevant regulations against the misconduct.
“Permanent Secretaries and Heads/Chief Executive Officers of extra-ministerial departments are to bring the content of this circular to all staff for compliance.”
The Federal Government had given a similar warning in May 2020, describing the unauthorized display of government documents on social media platforms as embarrassing and threatening to sack perpetrators of the act from the service.
The warning was issued in a circular dated May 22nd, addressed to the Chief of Staff to the President, Office of the Vice President, Ministers, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Permanent Secretaries, among other officials.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.