Civil Servants Can Now Report Rogue DGs, Permanent Secretaries, Others To FG Via New Tool

In a bid to rid the Federal Civil Service of injustice, corruption and victimization, the Head of Service of the Federation has introduced a new tool to enable public servants to anonymously report misdeeds in Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the government. 

THE WHISTLER reports that the Anonymous Reporting System (ARS) was recently launched by Folasade Yemi-Esan, who directed all Permanent Secretaries and Chief Executives of government agencies to ensure that the innovation is brought to the notice of public servants. 

The Head of Service issued the directive in a circular marked “HCSF/PS/SDO/90/1/152” and dated November 3, 2021. 

According to Yemi-Esan, the online tool which has been built into the official website of Federal Civil Service, is a product of an “Innovation Competition” earlier organised for public servants.

She said in the circular: “The goal of the ARS is to ensure that all public officers are given opportunity to, anonymously, report perceived wrongdoing, injustice, corruption, maltreatment, assault and general misconduct observed in the Service. 

“The ARS has been uploaded on the website of OHCSF: www.ohcsf.gov.ng for use by public servants in all MDAs. Public servants are encouraged to report on various types of misconduct as contained in the Public Service Rules (PSR) and listed on the website. 

“Accordingly, any public servant who has any complaint or misconduct to report should visit: www.ohcsf.gov.ng/ARS, and follow the steps of reportage as stated on the site. It should be noted that such report will be processed to ascertain its veracity and enable further necessary action(s) in line with extant rules,” she said. 

THE WHISTLER further reports that the ARS is slightly different from the Federal Government’s Whistle-blowing Policy which enables members of the public to report  fraud, bribery, looted government funds, financial misconduct, and any other form of corruption to the Federal Ministry of Finance.

While whistle-blowers who expose corruption under the whistle-blowing policy are entitled to 2.5 – 5 percentage from recovered funds, public servants who report wrongdoings via the ARS are not directly rewarded for their service.