The gale of changes at the helm of federal establishments has gotten to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).

Biztellers reports that President Bola Tinubu has directed the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, BPP, Mamman Ahmadu, to hand in his resignation letter.

This was disclosed by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, in a statement on Saturday.

According to Ngelale, Ahmadu’s resignation is part of a larger reorganisation effort in the public procurement system to reposition the agency for greater efficiency and transparency.

He added that President Tinubu directed Ahmadu to hand over to the most senior officer in the Bureau, pending the appointment of a new Director-General.

The statement added, “The President thanks Mr. Ahmadu for his services and wishes him success in his future endeavours.”

The attention of the Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke has been called to a viral video of former adhoc staff who claimed they are owed three months’ salary despite their disengagement.

This admittance was contained in a government house statement under the signature of Spokesperson to the State Governor, Olawale Rasheed.

According to him, they also alleged that all efforts to get the government to pay them have proved abortive including the false claim that they were snubbed by the Secretary to the State Government, Hon Teslim Igbalaye.

He maintained that the multiple allegations from the ex-workers are false and laced with political propaganda especially considering that an opposition activist arranged and distributed the video with the fake news content.

He averred that, “After thorough investigation, the facts of the situation are hereby stated below:

“The adhoc staff were laid off by the consultant who hired them under the former Governor Gboyega Oyetola. By the time Mr Governor assumed office, they were no longer adhoc staff at the Government House;

“Despite the termination of their contract, the former workers remained at their duty post for three months awaiting possible reabsorption by the new government even as there is no evidence that they worked during those period;

“The new consultant at the Government House, Genuine and Classy Cleaning Services Limited, met the ex-workers on ground without any contract with the state government and after a review, re-absorbed 15 out of the 35 who till date remain in the service of the state as contract staff;

“Of the old and new contract staff engaged by the firm, none of them is from Ede area of Osun State based on verified records in their engagement forms;

“The disengaged staff then demanded the payment of the salaries for the three months they waited at Government House without any contract with the Government;

“In the magnanimity of Mr Governor, he directed the Secretary to the State Government, Hon. Teslim Igbalaye to engage the new consultant and the disengaged staff with a view to pay the reported salary arrears. The former workers however refused to relate with the consultant who in effect has the records for effecting the directive of Mr Governor;

“The SSG however went ahead to effect the directive of Mr Governor for the payment of the ‘salaries’ by raising necessary requests for approval, a process that is now at the final stage.

“The SSG is also working on the directive of Mr Governor that the 20 former workers not reabsorbed by the new consultant should be engaged under the Imole Youth Corps that will soon be unveiled by the government;

“It is therefore not true that the Adeleke administration sacked the said adhoc staff. They were disengaged by the former consultant and the new consultant actually re-engaged 15 of them while the rest are due to be taken in under the Imole Corps.

“It is also false to assert that the SSG or any other official snubbed the former workers as his office has been working round the clock to ensure the matter is amicably resolved in line with the directive of Mr Governor.

“We reassure members of the public that the present administration under Governor Adeleke is committed to fair play and equitable treatment of all residents. Mr Governor will not stop to demonstrate and manifest magnanimity in state governance even when as in this case, the issue was inherited and touches the seat of government, the Government House.”

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF), led by Inspector-General Kayode Egbetokun, has rejected the list of successful applicants for constable and specialist cadre roles released by the Police Service Commission (PSC).

In a statement on Saturday, Force Public Relations Officer Olumuyiwa Adejobi made it clear that the list was plagued by irregularities, noting that many individuals who did not apply to join the force had their names on the recruitment list.

Biztellers reports that when the list was released on June 4, former PSC Chairman Solomon Arase had noted that the selection process was rigorous to enhance the force’s capacity and effectiveness.

However, six days after the list’s publication, President Bola Tinubu dismissed Arase and appointed Hashimu Argungu, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, in his place.

The statement reads,  “The Nigeria Police Force has raised alarm on the irregularities and alleged corruption of the recently released names of successful candidates in the ongoing 2022/23 Police Constables Recruitment Exercise.

“This became necessary upon being inundated with a series of complaints and allegations of corruption raised by unsuspecting candidates and stakeholders on the irregularities that marred the exercise most especially the disappearance of the names of screened candidates who were successful to the last stage.

“Upon careful scrutiny of the list released on the PSC portal, it was discovered that
i) Several names of persons purported to be names of successful candidates are those who did not even apply and therefore did not take part in the recruitment exercise.
ii) The published list contains several names of candidates who failed either the Computer Based Test (CBT) or the physical screening exercise or both.
iii) There are those who made it to the last stage of the exercise but were disqualified having been found Medically unfit through the standardised medical test but who also made the list of successful candidates as published by the PSC.
vi) Most worrisome is the allegation of financial dealings and corrupt practices leading to the outcome where unqualified and untrainable individuals have been shortlisted.

“The Inspector General of Police had on 10th June 2024 written a letter of objection to the list addressed to the Chairman of the Commission, citing the discoveries listed above. The reaction of the IGP was without prejudice to the power of the Commission to recruit for the police as ruled by the Supreme court but this power does not include the power to recruit unqualified and untrained individuals for the police.

“Noting that it is the police that bears the brunt of recruitment of unqualified individuals and not the PSC. The same people who recruited anyhow for the police today will turn round to accuse the police tomorrow of inefficiency when their recruits start messing up.”