By Oluwakemi Kindness
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Didi Walson-Jack, has told the House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) that critical questions surrounding the council’s establishment, supervision and operations should be directed to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
Appearing before the committee chaired by Yusuf Gagdi on Monday, Walson-Jack explained that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) only approves the organisational structure of government agencies and does not create agencies or presidential councils.
She disclosed that although the PFIPC eventually secured approval for an establishment of 314 positions, comprising 14 existing staff and 300 additional positions, its initial request for an organisational structure was declined because it failed to provide the required supporting documents.
According to the Head of Service, documents later presented by the council as its enabling legal instrument were subsequently found to lack the necessary legal features.
She attributed the oversight to a period when the OHCSF’s electronic document management system was down, forcing officials to rely on manual processing of physical files.
Walson-Jack also told lawmakers that her office did not deploy any civil servants to the council despite receiving a request, stressing that recruitment into government agencies remains the responsibility of the agencies themselves.
She further clarified that issues relating to the creation and operation of presidential councils, approval of conditions of service, reporting lines and operational oversight do not fall within the mandate of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service.
On claims that the PFIPC operated from the Federal Secretariat, the Head of Service said her office never allocated office accommodation to the council.
She explained that the office space linked to the PFIPC had earlier been assigned to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for use by the SGF and other presidential bodies.
Walson-Jack maintained that while the OHCSF had submitted all records in its custody to the committee, matters concerning the establishment, administration and supervision of the PFIPC should be addressed by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and other relevant government institutions.
