HOS Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita
HOS Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita
FG Deploys 80 Press Secretaries to MDAs…. To Save N2.8bn
on Media Aides
The Federal Government through the Ministry of Information and
Culture has deployed eighty (80) Press Secretaries and their
assistants known as Resident Information Officers (RIOs) to
Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as part of efforts to
tackle redundancy and inefficiency in the system.
PRNigeria gathered that the latest move by the ministry was
aimed at avoiding putting square pegs in round holes and to
redeploy several officers who have overstayed in one position.
A source in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of
Federation said the posting will checkmate incessant appointment of
media aides by some chief executive officers against the service
rules and management service circular PSRU/C16.1.17.1/11/430 which
makes provisions for RIOS. It will also save the government over
N2.8billion being spent annually on maintaining media aides whose
expenditures are not captured in the budget.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and
Culture, Deaconess Grace Isu Gekpe recently introduced a 3-year
tenure for Press Secretaries posted to Ministries, Departments and
Agencies of government.
According to the new criteria, Press Secretaries in the Federal
Civil Service on posting should not overstay in particular agencies
but rather move around to garner and deploy their experiences in
various agencies.
The RIOs are deployed to Permanent Secretaries and Chief
Executive officers of MDAs who should handle their deployment to
the press unit. The Press and Public Relations Unit of the MDAs in
the federal public service operates within the framework of
guidelines provided by the federal government through the
supervisory of Federal Ministry of Information.
According to the provisions of the circular, a Resident
Information Officer is a professional on posting to an MDA to work
in the Press and Public Relations Unit as the Image Maker of the
establishment
“He/she is mandated to professionally project the policies,
programmes and activities of the MDAs vis-à-vis that of Federal
Government of Nigeria.
“The Federal Ministry of Information is the ministry that has
the mandates to lead the management of the image and reputation of
the people and government of Nigeria through a professional and
dynamic public information system that facilitate access by
citizens and the global community to credible and timely
information about our nation.”
By PRNigeria