Group Opposes Appointment of Chira as new Auditor-General of the Federation

The appointment of Mr. Shaaka Chira by President Bola Tinubu as the substantive Auditor-General of the Federation (AGoF)  has continued to draw controversy  as a group,  known as Worried Nigerian Citizens(WNC) has opposed the appointment.

Petitions  indicating that Chira is  a junior director  in the office of the AGoF and that he  lacked basic experience to head such a sensitive position have delayed his confirmation by the Senate.

And in a new petition titled,  “President Bola Tinubu should revisit the appointment of Mr. Shaaka Chira as the Auditor General of the Federation in the interest of Nigeria Civil Service,”  the   WNC Convener, Moses Idika, has called for  the reveres of the appointment.

WNC  in the  petition copied the Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila,  Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas and the Head of the Civil Service Commission,   wondered  why Chira who ranked the 17th amongst the 17 directors of the AGoF office should be made  to superintended a sensitive post  that has 16 persons who are his superiors.

The WNC therefore called on President Tinubu to immediately reverse the appointment because it is not in consonance with civil servive rule.

The group also argued that Chira’s appointment was capable of dampening ‘’the morale of civil servants who work  hardwork and at the same time make the lazy ones feel that they can attain  the zenith of their career  once they have ‘long legs’ within the government.

The petition reads:”The Senate last week put on hold the confirmation of Mr. Shaaka Chira as the substantive Auditor-General of the Federation. We are aware that Several Directors within the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation were behind the petition that the Senate relied upon to put on hold the confirmation of Mr. Shiras the Auditor-General of Nigeria.

We are concerned over the brewing disquiet that has greeted the appointment of Mr. Shaaka Chira as the AGoF, unlike several other appointments made by President Bola Tinubu in the last few months.

The disquiet stems from the fact that Mr. Chira the 18th on the line of seniority in the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation was appointed to leap and head the 17 other Directors who are his seniors.

It is instructive for the federal government to take into cognizance the debilitating effect this appointment may have on the civil service and the moral of officers of the service.

The Nigeria Civil Service like others in other parts of the world thrives on hard work and elevation rooted in promotions and unbroken chain of command.

The latest appointment of President Bola Tinubu strikes at the core of the Civil Service in that it has potential to dampen the moral of civil servants who may now feel that hard work no longer matters if one has “long legs” within the government.

“We therefore, call on Mr. President to reverse the appointment in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the president which we strongly believe is rooted in re-directing the minds of Nigerians to have hope in our institutions, our government and in our laws. “

The National Assembly as the peoples’ parliament must stand on the side of the people of Nigeria by ensuring that that the President is guided to do the rights things in the interest of our national cohesion.

Every Nigerian and every Nigerian civil servant must be made to rely on the ethics of their profession as a precursor for promotions and elevations.

“The Civil Service Rule must also be abided with as a sustainable growth path for all civil servants, ethnicity, Godfatherism and favouritism have no place in civil service and therefore, must never, become part of our civil service. 

The Office of the AGoF is a sensitive position that the president must ensure that the moral of its staff is at pitch-high for efficiency.