The coalition led by the Civil Society Forum of Nigeria described those behind the “frivolous campaign” as mischief-makers that should not be taken seriously.
Yemi-Esan had come under fire over allegations of gross misconduct, retrogressive tendencies and moves to frustrate recruitment into federal tertiary institutions and other government departments and agencies.
Spokesperson of the coalition, Adeniran Taiwo, told journalists in Abuja, yesterday, that the call for the removal of the HoSF “is an attempt to jeopardise the current reforms in the civil service” initiated by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He maintained that the Federal Civil Service witnessed many remarkable achievements under the current leadership.
“Most prominent among these is the great work being done to transform the service from a paper-based system of administration to one that is driven by technology.
“We also acknowledge the work done by the administration on the upward review of Duty Tour Allowances (DTAs), which is benefiting all civil servants and, by extension, their families and Nigerians. This is in addition to the implementation of insurance cover for public servants through the Federal Government’s Group Life Assurance scheme for the 2021 and 2022, as well as the introduction of Performance Management System (PMS) in the civil service,” he said.
According to the CSOs, the administration has also taken bold steps in ensuring that it is not business-as-usual for ghost workers because a lot of work has been done to sanitise the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) and to flush them out of the system because their activities have eaten deep into the national treasury.
Taiwo alleged that those seeking the removal of the HoSF were sponsored by anti-change proponents within and outside the civil service, who, he said, was no longer able to benefit from the formerly weak and compromised structures within the service.
“As a result, and in a very desperate attempt to rubbish the laudable milestones recorded by the Buhari administration in the public sector, the miscreants cook up and peddle all manner of falsehood to bring the office of the HOS to disrepute.
“This is highly unprofessional, and we also use this medium to caution the group and their sponsors to repent from their baseless and self-serving activities, which are tantamount to sabotage,” he added.
