Aso Rock Admits Oath of Secrecy on 42 Staff; Warns: Disclose Govt. Confidential Information, Face The Music

Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Nigeria’s citadel of power, Tuesday, administered oath of secrecy on 42 staff members, warning them it would severely deal with whoever divulges Government’s confidential information among them.

A release signed by Ms. Patience Tilley-Gyado, Assistant Director, Information, said the Permanent Secretary, State House, Mr. Tijjani Umar, delivered the warning at the State House, Abuja, declaring that any staff member that discloses confidential information without authorisation will receive stiff penalties as stipulated by public service rules.

The oath of secrecy, according to Ms. Tlley-Gyado, was administered by Justice Hamza Muazu of the FCT High Court.

According to her, 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,” the Permanent Secretary 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.”

Although the Permanent Secretary disclosed that the exercise will be continuous, he, however, expressed delight that, so far, the State House has not recorded any breach of information.

‘‘We have not had any breach,” he announced. “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.’’

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, ran the staff through some 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.