The Presidency on Tuesday issued an oath of secrecy to staff, warning them against divulging state secrets to the public.
State House Permanent Secretary, Tijjani Umar who issued the warning noted that alerting staff of the penalties that accrue to a breach of classified documents without authorization, has become fundamental, particularly to retired staff.
Administering an oath of secrecy to 42 staff at the State House, he disclosed that there has been no record of any breach of information yet, neither is there anticipation of any, but the exercise will continue to put civil servants in check.
Under the Official Secrets Act, 1962, the Director of Special Services Department, Office of the Government of the Federation, Tukur Yahaya, explained to the staff that underwent the sensitization program, that the safety and security of government information, documents and facilities is critical to guarantee continuous delivery of national service.
“We discovered that due to deployment of officers and retirement a number of our staff needs 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,” he said.
“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.”
SEE THE FULL STATEMENT BELOW:
STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE
DISCLOSING CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION WILL ATTRACT PENALTIES, PERMANENT SECRETARY WARNS STATE HOUSE STAFF
The Permanent Secretary, State House, Tijjani Umar on Tuesday in Abuja warned staff that disclosing confidential information without authorisation will attract penalties under the public service rules.
The Permanent Secretary stated this at the administration of Oath of Secrecy and Declaration of Secrecy to 42 staff of the State House, administered by Justice Hamza Muazu of the FCT High Court.
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.
The Permanent Secretary, who disclosed that the exercise will be continuous, expressed delight that so far the State House has not recorded any breach of information.
‘‘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 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.
Patience Tilley-Gyado
Assistant Director Information
State House
July 27, 2021