The Presidency has called for an investigation into the civil service framework to root out individuals labeled as “moles” believed to have allegiances to opposition parties and who are suspected of leaking classified documents to these parties.
Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, made the request for the investigation following the disclosure of an internal memo. The memo purportedly revealed that President Tinubu authorized the disbursement of N500 million out of a total of N1 billion to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume. These funds were intended for the inauguration of a 37-member Tripartite Committee tasked with discussing the New National Minimum Wage.
In response to the revelation, the PDP issued a statement demanding an investigation into the release of the funds.
In an interview with Punch, Onanuga emphasized the need for the Federal Government to identify and remove individuals leaking classified documents, who are believed to have loyalties to opposition parties. He stressed that this action is essential for safeguarding sensitive information and ensuring national security.
Onanuga expressed concern over the leakage of memos, citing previous instances such as a memo leaked during the President’s attendance at the UNGA, which requested funds for hotel bills. He underscored the importance of respecting civil service rules regarding the handling of official secrets and urged the government to investigate how confidential memos are being made public.
He stated, “There are so many moles around who are probably doing the bid of the opposition. They are not respecting the civil service rule for handling official secrets. And it shows that the government should look inwards to probe how memos between officials are getting into the public space. Memos that are supposed to be secret are not supposed to be flying all over the place.”
