At least 19 of the 38 eligible directors who sat for the Permanent Secretaries’ examination sailed through the first stage and will proceed to the second stage of the selection exercise.

The process of appointing new Permanent Secretaries commenced on Monday, November 11, 2024, with a written examination. Of the 38 directors who took the examination, 19 did not pass.

The Head of Information and Public Relations at the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, Eno Olotu, confirmed the development in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

She noted that the exercise continues President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to enhancing and sustaining effective public service delivery, led by top-ranking civil servants equipped with essential 21st-century skills.

“The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation has commenced the three-stage assessment for appointing new Permanent Secretaries on Monday, November 11, 2024, with a written examination.

“Nineteen of the 38 eligible directors who sat for the examination have scaled through this first stage and will be participating in the second stage, which will test their competence in using information, communication, and technology (ICT) in conducting government business on Wednesday, November 13, 2024.

“This three-stage exercise follows the established tradition of a transparent and rigorous process, designed to ensure that the very best candidates are appointed,” Olotu stated.

The statement added that successful candidates will then proceed to the final stage, appearing before a carefully constituted panel of top bureaucrats and representatives from the organised private sector on Friday, November 15, 2024.

“This process will culminate in Mr President’s appointment of the best candidates representing the eight states of Abia, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Enugu, Gombe, Kaduna, Kebbi, and Rivers, where vacancies exist.

“The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation congratulates all 38 candidates and appreciates the continued support of the Nigerian public in fostering meritocracy in career progression within the Civil Service,” the statement added.

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, on Tuesday, attributed the country’s epileptic power supply to corruption within the power sector.

He said the commission initiated a probe into the sector, adding that what it uncovered during its investigations would make Nigerians shed tears.

Speaking during the visit of the House Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, Olukoyede lamented that contractors awarded projects to supply electrical equipment often opted for substandard materials.

He said this practice was a major cause of frequent equipment failures, outages, and grid collapses.

Olukoyede said, “As I am talking to you now, we are grappling with electricity. If you see some of the investigations we are carrying out within the power sector, you will shed tears.

“People who were awarded contracts to supply electricity equipment, instead of using what they call 9.0 guage, they will buy 5.0.

“So, every time you see the thing tripping off, gets burnt, and all of that, It’s part of our problems.”

He also stated that during its investigations, the commission discovered that in the last 20 years, capital project implementation and execution in the country were not up to 20 per cent.

He said the country could not achieve infrastructural or other forms of growth under such conditions.

“We discovered that in the last 15 to 20 years, we have not done up to 20 per cent of our capital project implementation and execution.

“And if we don’t do that, how do you want to have infrastructural development? How do you want to grow as a nation?

“So our mandate this year is to work with that directorate and with the National Assembly to see if we can meet up to 50 per cent of execution of our capital project for the year.

“If we do 50 per cent, we will be fine as a nation. The lack of implementation of this capital project, capital budget, is one of our major problems in Nigeria.

“If we can tackle that effectively, we will make progress as a nation. So we are doing everything to see how we can achieve that with your support.”

The anti-graft boss said the commission received over 17,000 petitions, adding that over 20,000 cases were currently under investigation.

He said, “We have several cases filed in court, apart from the conviction, running to thousands.

“In the last year, we have received over 17,000 petitions in EFCC. And right now, as I’m talking to you, we are investigating over 20,000 cases.

“Between last October and now, we have opened over 4,800 new cases. And what is our staff spread? We are less than 5,000 and now, with the additional responsibility of over 700 MDAs, 36 states, 774 local governments, and all of that.”

The Chairman of the committee, Obinna Onwusibe, called on the EFCC to collaborate with the judiciary to expedite the trials of suspects and reduce the number of inmates awaiting trial.

He said, “At this point, let me add that recently, on oversight visits to the maximum and minimum correctional centres in Kirikiri, Lagos State, numerous suspects have been awaiting trial for over one year, and yet we are all acquainted with the saying that justice delayed is justice denied.

“It is on this note that we call on the EFCC, the Attorney General of the Federation, and the judiciary to improve and ensure that the administration of criminal justice works in collaboration for an effective and efficient system that will bring about justice delivery to victims and society.”

He also urged the EFCC to ensure transparency and accountability in its operation.

“The negative maxim being peddled in certain quarters is that the agency is often being used to settle political scores, and this must be corrected by the EFCC,” he said.

The Defence Headquarters has said the new terrorist group, Lukarawa, has begun a recruitment process to bolster its fighting capabilities.

It, however, said the military was aware of the group’s recruitment activities and working closely with other security agencies and the state government to halt the recruitment efforts.

The DHQ had, last Thursday, confirmed the emergence of a new terrorist group known as ‘Lukarawa’ in the northern region, with operations in Sokoto and Kebbi states.

The Director of Media Operations, Maj Gen Edward Buba, said the terrorists began incursion into the northern parts of Sokoto and Kebbi states from the Niger Republic and Mali axis, particularly after the coup in the Niger Republic.

He blamed residents of the region for accommodating the terrorists and failing to report their movements to the military and other security agencies.

On Friday, the new terror group attacked Mera town in the Augie Local Government Area of Kebbi State while residents were preparing for Jumaat prayers, killing at least 15 people and carting away at least 100 cows.

Speaking in an interview with our correspondent on Tuesday, Buba said the terrorists were using sermons and welfare packages to entice the youth.

He added that the terror group was also using social media to drive its recruitment efforts.

Buba said, “The group is employing social media platforms, showcasing sermons and enticing recruits with welfare packages.

“Nevertheless, we know of these plans and are working together with other security forces and the state government to thwart the efforts of the terrorist.”

A former Director of the Department of State Services, Mike Ejiofor, argued that although the group had been in existence since 2018, the country’s intelligence agencies had been monitoring their activities.

He said the sect’s members were too few to constitute a serious threat to national security.

He said, “It must be clear that this group has been there since 2018. It’s not a new group. They have been there since 2018. They were brought in there by the community leader who wanted to help them fight. This group was formed by Nassala in Niger Republic. So when he died, the Nigerien government could not control them.

“So they were invited to assist them in Sokoto. They were there, but eventually, the Sokoto State government used their non-kinetic approach to make them leave that place through negotiation.

“Some of them remained, and they’ve been operating on a very new team. So it’s not as if it’s a new terrorist group that has just emerged.

“So they’ve been there, and the intelligence agencies have been following their activities. I can’t tell you the exact number now, but they are not men that can pose a major threat to our national security.

“But that is not to say that we will leave them. The intelligence circle is also following their activities.”

Ejiofor stated that security agencies must intensify their intelligence efforts and communities must support these agencies to help eliminate the terror group.

He said, “Yes, they might be trying to recruit some people. The intelligence services are monitoring their activities with a view to putting them in check so that they don’t take root within that area.

“There’s no cause for alarm, but you cannot at the same time underplay any security threat in the country. There’s much we can do through communal support.”

He blamed the community for not reporting the activities of the bandits.

“If they report, they’ll be in trouble. If they fail to report, they’ll be in trouble. So the best thing is to support the government.

“You know, they collect taxes from these people and make them raise funds and all these things. So they are in a precarious position.

“I think the best thing for us to do is to intensify intelligence efforts and operational efforts from the security agencies to make sure they are put in check before they spread,” he said.

A security expert, Timothy Avele, said, “From open sources we gathered the group has been in existence for the past six years.

“In fact, in some Kebbi communities, they’re collecting levies and handling judicial cases and even preventing emirs from carrying out their lawful duties.

“So it means they have been existing but have not been known to the press and general public.

“If this is confirmed to be true, it, therefore, means the security agencies, especially the DSS and police intelligence department failed in their primary responsibility of gathering and analysing strategic intelligence.”

He added that with the hardship in the country, it would be difficult to stop the group’s recruitment drive.

“However, if their sources of funds are targeted and blocked and their top leadership/sponsors (both local and foreign) eliminated, including carrying out specific cyber operations, only then it could be stopped,” he said.”