The Head of Service explained that the existence of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council as an ad hoc organisation may have contributed to the confusion surrounding the documents submitted to her office.
By Mmesoma Onwuka
365Daily – Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Esther Walson-Jack, has admitted that her office failed to carry out adequate due diligence before issuing approvals linked to the Presidential Economic Advisory Council/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PEAC/PFIPC).
Walson-Jack made the admission while appearing before the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the activities of the council.
According to her, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service received a Letter of Appointment and an Establishment Act and based on those documents as well as interactions with representatives of the PEAC/PFIPC, proceeded to issue an Authorised Establishment and a Recruitment Waiver.
She told lawmakers that, having reviewed the facts and documents presented during the ongoing investigation, her office now concedes that more due diligence should have been carried out before the approvals were granted.
The Head of Service explained that the existence of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council as an ad hoc organisation may have contributed to the confusion surrounding the documents submitted to her office.
She added that proper due diligence could have helped determine whether the documents presented were authentic before official actions were taken.
The committee, chaired by Hon. Yusuf Gagdi, is investigating the activities of the council and the circumstances under which it obtained official recognition and recruitment approvals from government institutions.