The SGF the nation deserves

Let me begin by admitting that we might never see the report of the high level    three-man committee into the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) saga. It would even be undesirable to see the report in its entirety, as those who know better claim that it would jeopardize our national interest, if it is made […]

Let me begin by admitting that we might never see the report of the high level    three-man committee into the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) saga. It would even be undesirable to see the report in its entirety, as those who know better claim that it would jeopardize our national interest, if it is made public. This much we have learnt from Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, a former Minister of External Affairs and Director-General of National Institute of International Affairs (NIIA). In a statement issued on Sunday, 30 April 2017, the erudite professor of political science said, ‘under no circumstances should the report of the panel in so far as it relates to the activities of the NIA be made public, and no more leaks from the panel’. I agree with him. We should have a limit on the kinds of information our officials let out to the public about our security institutions so as not to compromise their operations. However I do not expect the committee, comprising the Vice-President, the National Security Adviser (NSA) and Attorney-General, to not know where to draw the line. The NSA, in particular, was once a military defence attache in Ghana and I guess would not contemplate releasing any information that would jeopardize the careers of our agents in foreign lands.  

As for the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the concern expressed by many I spoke to, was that the image of the office has been degraded a great deal, since the allegations of contract abuse against the SGF surfaced. The fact that the matter was left to linger for so long without any resolution must have impacted a lot on the stature of the office vis-à-vis other offices contending for supremacy in the Presidency.

One needs to go down memory lane to see how the office grew in stature to become what it is today to understand the fear many harbour that a lengthy battle could have, not only on the office but also on the running of government itself. As I alluded in my piece last week the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) has today become such a behemoth among the institutions of government, with so large a bureaucracy and carrying out such strategic functions, that it has earned itself the popular sobriquet: the engine room of the government.

It has been so since the demise of the First Republic, and the enthronement of military regimes. Perhaps due to the strategic position the office occupies it has been the tradition to fill the of post of SGF with the most senior Permanent Secretary in the Federal Civil Service, especially when the office doubled as head of the civil service. At the beginning of the second republic in 1979, when the office was split, a highly respected and widely-experienced Permanent Secretary, Shehu Musa, was appointed the SGF by President Shehu Shagari, while the most senior Permanent Secretary, Gray Longe was appointed Head of Service.

When President Shagari was overthrown in December 1983, Gray Longe was appointed SGF in 1984, by the new Head of State, General Buhari. Gray Longe, also, retained his position as head of service. When General Buhari was overthrown in 1985, his successors considered the office so sacrosanct that they asked the incumbent, Gray Longe to continue in office. He was only replaced in 1986, some month into their regime. When replacing Gray Longe as SGF, the Head of State, General Babangida even upped the ante in terms of qualification for the post. He went for Olu Falae who had spent most of his career in the Federal Civil Service and rose to the post of Permanent Secretary, and then left to become the Managing Director of Nigerian Merchant Bank. After four years on the post, Olu Falae was replaced with Aliyu Mohammed.

Aliyu Mohammed was a dyed in the wool public servant who had seen service from the days of the Premier’s office in Northern Nigeria. He became Director of Immigration and later Permanent Secretary in a number of key ministries including FCT. He handed over to Mustafa Umara who had also seen public service from the Northern Nigeria days. When states were created in 1967 Mustafa Umara was retained in North Central State where he became a Permanent Secretary for many years before his appointment as Secretary to the Military Government in Borno State. He eventually became a Minister in 1992 and later SGF in 1993.

When Shonekan’s Interim Government was overthrown in 1993, General Abacha appointed another seasoned hand, Aminu Saleh as SGF. He was a   Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Communications, Trade and retired from Defence in 1984 before becoming a Minister of Industries in the Interim Government. After his tenure as SGF in 1995 he handed over the baton to Gidado Idris, who also came to the post with intimidating credentials. Gidado Idris was the Secretary of the Constituents Assembly in 1978 and became the first Clerk of the National Assembly in 1979. When the Assembly was disbanded after the 1983 coup he was posted to the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) as Secretary and Director of Administration and later appointed Permanent Secretary. He served in the Ministry of Aviation and Finance among others before becoming SGF.

At the start of the 4th Republic, President Obasanjo appointed Ufot Ekaette as SGF. Ufot Ekaette can be counted among the most prepared for the post. He had worked in General Gowon’s office when he was Head of State and went on to serve in many ministries before he was appointed Permanent Secretary in 1986. He was Permanent Secretary in DFRRI and Ministries of Industries, Works, Budget and Planning among others. Thereafter he was appointed Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State before his appointment as SGF. 

Baba Gana Kingibe whom President Umaru Musa Yar’adua appointed SGF is probably the most well-known among all those who held the post due to the media exposure he got as chairman of Social Democratic Party and Moshood Abiola’s running-mate in the June 1993 Presidential election. However before Kingibe was drafted into politics, he was a civil servant, a foreign service officer who rose to be an Ambassador before becoming a  Permanent Secretary in the SGF office. Kingibe was a Minister of Foreign Affairs and later Internal Affairs before becoming SGF.

Mahmud Yayale Ahmed who took over from Kingibe would be remembered as one who had the richest top Federal Civil Service experience before occupying the office of SGF. He was a Permanent Secretary in a number of ministries before President Obasanjo appointed him as Head of Service of the Federation. President Obasanjo’s successor Yar’adua appointed him Minister of Defence from where he became SGF.

When President Jonathan announced Anyim Pius Anyim as SGF there was a justifiable uproar because he wasn’t known to have a rich public service background. The criticisms however became muted when it was pointed that he was once a Senate President. Nevertheless, without a strong public service background he had to rely, throughout his tenure, on a large number of aides he personally brought to the office.

Much as we cannot fathom the minds of Heads of Government when they were appointing their SGFs we can at least make educated guesses from the pedigree of those appointed. A rich public service career was always, I guess,   the first criterion for the post. Office of the SGF should never have been reduced to a job for the boys. This government should be wiser.