President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday warned against what he described as the existing cold working relationship between some ministers and permanent secretaries in the federal civil service.
The president, while swearing in six new federal permanent secretaries before the commencement of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, warned that the trend must stop.
He also decried the “high level of indiscipline and impunity” in the civil service and government, noting that a system without discipline would fail.
Asking the new permanent secretaries to enforce discipline in their respective ministries, Jonathan observed that there had been incessant complaints in recent times about cold relationships between the political and administrative heads of ministries, agencies and departments of government.
Expressing his concern, Jonathan said “If permanent secretaries don’t work with the ministers and ministers don’t work with permanent secretaries, there is no way we can do what we are expected to do.
“The ministry is meant to be run by the political head, administrative head, accounting officer and, of course, the directors. So, if there is conflict or cold relationship between the key actors in any department of government, it is a recipe for failure.
“In any ministry where the permanent secretary and the minister are not in good terms, that is another way of telling Nigerians that both of you have failed the country.”
Observing further that some of the conflicts stem from disregard for due process by some officials in the management of government business, the president said conflict would be minimised if officials put aside their personal interests and adhered strictly to due process in their official conduct.
On the high level of indiscipline and impunity in the civil service and government generally, he said, “These days, you hardly see a permanent secretary querying a director or a director querying an assistant director; assistant director querying a principal officer or principal querying a senior officer, and in a system where there is no discipline, definitely, you cannot get the best output.
“You can’t assume that everybody will do the right thing. We must be able to bring discipline to bear in the service if we must give our country the best.”
The new permanent secretaries include Aminu Bisala (Niger), Sunday Echonor (Benue) Amina Shamaki (Kebbi) and Nana Mede (Edo).
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