There is an upheaval in Zamfara State's civil service following the emergence of a leaked memorandum allegedly implicating senior government officials
There is an upheaval in Zamfara State‘s civil service following the emergence of a leaked memorandum allegedly implicating senior government officials in the financing of terrorism and banditry.
The fallout from this explosive expose has led to an unprecedented and abrupt reshuffling of key civil servants across the state, in a move that has sent shockwaves through the bureaucracy.
Sources within the Zamfara State Government House have revealed that the Governor was visibly incensed upon learning of the leaked memo, which allegedly detailed financial transactions facilitating banditry and further entangling high-ranking government officials in the scandal.
At the epicenter of the Governor, Dauda Lawal’s anger was reportedly the Commissioner of Finance, who, as the overseer of the state’s financial management, is responsible for orchestrating the movement of accounting staff within the bureaucracy.
In an attempt to mitigate the fallout from the public embarrassment, the Governor swiftly initiated a comprehensive reorganization of civil servants within the state bureaucracy, specifically focusing on the treasury department. This strategic move was formally communicated through a memo, meticulously outlining the extensive reshuffling of civil servants.
According to credible sources, the Governor’s office, in an unconventional and unexpected maneuver, sidestepped the Commissioner of Finance and instead entrusted the Head of Service, Ahmad Aliyu Liman, with the sensitive task of orchestrating the redeployment of treasury staff.
The follow-up memo with the reference number HOS/Z/844/VOL.III, outlines the redeployment of various senior treasury staff, including directors and deputy directors in key financial departments.
The comprehensive reshuffling affected over a dozen senior civil servants, many of whom held critical positions in the state’s financial management and control systems. Sources inside the government claim that these postings are part of a broader move to sanitize the state’s financial sector in line with civil service reforms. However, the sudden nature of the redeployment raises questions about its true intent.
Interestingly, the Commissioner of Finance, typically entrusted with overseeing the assignment of accounting staff within the state bureaucracy, was conspicuously bypassed in this reshuffling exercise.
According to well-placed sources, this decision stemmed from a profound lack of confidence in his office, coupled with deep-seated concerns that sensitive documents may continue to surface in the media.
The government asserts that these personnel changes constitute part of comprehensive financial sector reforms. But critics vehemently argue that the reason is otherwise thus galvanizing international and local organizations to demand a thorough, impartial investigation into the state’s financial dealings.
