Foreign ministry denies estacode scam
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied media reports indicating that it is involved in an estacode scam. Daily Trust had reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced investigation into the estacode paid to 87 officers from the ministry and the Federal Civil Service Commission. READ ALSO: EFCC probes estacode scam […]
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied media reports indicating that it is involved in an estacode scam.
Daily Trust had reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced investigation into the estacode paid to 87 officers from the ministry and the Federal Civil Service Commission.
EFCC sources, according to our correspondent, said the officials allegedly supervised the 2018 promotion exercise involving 59 foreign service officers.
The ministry’s spokesperson, Tope Adeleye Elias-Fatile, in a statement, said the estacode allowances of all the officers who travelled to supervise the 2018 Promotion Examinations in the four centres abroad (Kenya, London, New York and New Delhi) were paid directly into their accounts upon their return from the exercise.
Besides, the payments were made in naira not in dollars as alleged, he said.
He described as ‘incorrect’ media reports that over 100 officers of the ministry travelled to supervise the examination exercise.
According to him, only 36 officers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs travelled for the supervision.
He also said allegation that only 59 officers sat for the promotion examinations was untrue.
Over 129 officers sat for the promotion examinations, Elias-Fatile said.
The spokesperson said, ”It is pertinent to utilize this opportunity to explain that the conduct of promotion examinations for officers and Nigerian diplomats abroad is statutory and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in charge of the supervision of officers on grade levels 7 to 14 while the Federal Civil Service Commission conducts and supervises examinations for all directorate level officers".
”Contrary to the content of the online report, it should be highlighted that the ministry followed all due processes in the payment of estacode to all officers involved and all the supervising officers travelled to the various centres to supervise the examinations, as approved."
‘Meanwhile, all documents pertaining to the conduct of the examinations and the financial implication were duly submitted to the EFCC for verification."
”Therefore, the report of any fraud in the payment of estacode as it relates to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja, is absolutely false and should be disregarded.”