NOBODY CAN REMOVE ME! (Including President Bola Tinubu) Boasts Dr Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe. (Perm-Sec Ministry of Agriculture) EMBEZZLES OVER 500 BILLION NAIRA.
Dr. Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe, as the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, holds a position of significant responsibility within the government. As a high-ranking civil servant, it is expected that he upholds the principles of discipline, integrity, and adherence to instructions issued by higher authorities. However, recent events have raised concerns about his actions, particularly his flagrant disregard and unrepentant disobedience to the instructions of the Head of Service and by extension the President who is the head of Government the Perm Sec is supposed to be working for. Our investigations reveal that A Prominent First Class Traditional Ruler from the Southern part of the Country worried about the po state of development of rural infrastructure for his people supposed to be carried out by an Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development decided to enquire as to why the pace of development of his particular part of the Country was almost comatose. On enquiring it was revealed that the said Agency was crippled and almost none existent because there had been no substantive head of the said Agency for over 15 months now.
In search of much needed succour/relief for his people the Traditional Ruler (who is said to be a close confidant of the President) placed a call to the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as there are no Ministers presently. The Traditional Ruler sought to know why rural development for his beloved people was not forthcoming and why the Agency was in Comatose state. Before the Elderly Statesman could finish his sentence the Perm-Sec barked at him, screaming with anger, irritation and disdain “Who are you to be asking me these questions, I don’t work for you. You people think you can just call anybody and be talking nonsense” shocked beyond disbelief the Traditional Ruler responded by saying “is it a crime for me to look into the welfare of my people? If you won’t assist me I may have to solicit help from the Presidency. At this point the Perm-Sec went ballistic shouting at the top of his voice “Nobody can remove me not even the President, eyewitnesses alleged that he even boasted arrogantly that he had the Head of Service eating out of the palms of his hands (whatever that means) Eyewitnesses also retorted they had never seen such insolence, indiscipline and impunity by a Senior Civil Servant who ought to know better. Our investigation further revealed that Staffers at the Office of the HOS have been murmuring about the extreme closeness between the Perm-Sec and the HOS, a closeness that is rumoured to be more cushy and cosy than courteous, in-fact it is often whispered that the relationship may not be unromantic…….Hmmm
The behaviour of both these very senior Officers of the Civil Service could have been described as almost Comical but in reality it’s a tragedy indeed very heartbreaking and saddening to know that people who are supposed to have the peoples interest are busy carrying out nefarious, irresponsible and unscrupulous acts to the detriment of the Rural People.
In April 2022 the head of the Civil Service Dr Folasade Esan carried out a routin posting across different Ministries and agencies of government. Within this routine general posting an officer was posted to one of the agencies in the Ministry of Agriculture to replace a vacancy occasioned by the retirement of the officer heading the said agency. The Deputy Director arrived the Ministry only to be pushed aside and relegated to small wardrobe space as an office, curiously only a few weeks later even the small wardrobe of an office was heavily padlocked on the very stern instructions of the Permanent Secretary Dr Ernest Umakhihe. Rendering a whole Deputy Director in our Nation’s Civil Service officeless, to be aimlessly and joblessly roaming the corridors of his Agency. The Perm-Sec also decreed Sternly that the officer acting as National Coordinator of the Agency who is an Assistant Director was not to handover to newly posted/appointed National Coordinator whom the the HOS had posted following due process as well as adhering to the extant Civil Service rules and guidelines. For over a year now all efforts to persuade the Perm Sec Ministry of Agriculture to comply, implement, adhere, obey or even oblige the HOS posting has fallen on deaf ears.
Dr Umakhihe wasn’t shy to brag about his connection to the so called Cabal of the immediate past government, he told anyone who cared to listen that his relationship with the infamous Maman Daura and the notoriously influential Tunde Sabiu meant he was virtually untouchable. May 29th 2023 saw the inauguration of a new government with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the Executive President of Nigeria. Ordinarily one would have thought that this unapologetically recalcitrant Perm-Sec would have had some kind of sober reflection and decided to do the right thing and obey the posting of the HOS. Instead he blatantly refused to honour the intervention of both the Secretary to Government of the federation (SGF) and the Senate President of this Great Nation. Dr Umakhihe even arrogantly ignored the Chief of Staff to the President when he was said have also intervened on the issue, boasting that not even President Tinubu can make him comply with the HOS’s posting. Our sources further revealed that just about two weeks ago no greater personality than Vice President Kashim Shettima also intervened and instructed the unshaken Perm-Sec to do the needful but as usual he totally refused. Now that Dr Ernest Umakhihe has Blatantly,brazenly,arrogantly openly dismissively disobeyed with disrespect, disregard and disdain the entire Executive Arm of government, it is only a matter of time before he declares himself President of Nigeria. Our sources reveal that the real reason the Permanent Secretary Ministry Of Agriculture Dr Ernest Umakhihe has flagrantly refused to allow a substantive National Coordinator of the Agency for over 15 months now is because he has fleeced the Agency through the puppet he planted in acting capacity to head the agency of over N500Billion in collusion with the Suspended CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele who has been singing like a canary in detention at the Department of State Security.
t is alleged by our sources that the humongous embezzled funds was used to by both Emefiele and Dr Umakhihe to try and prevent Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu from winning the 2023 elections. It is however mind bloggingly amazing that a man whose close associates say is a card carrying member and Staunch believer/follower of the “Obi-dient” movement can be so disobedient to constitutional authority. With all this impertinence and pugnacious behaviour displayed by this Permanent Secretary, are we now to understand that certain people in the Civil Service are above the law? The Perm-Secs conduct is astoundingly astonishing. The fact that the Head of Service of the Federation can sit idly by while a Perm-Sec whom she’s supposed to superintend over will blatantly, flagrantly,unapologetically, obtrusively undermine and completely disobey her posting shows that she is either extremely incompetent and unfit for the office of HOS or she must be intoxicated, infatuated and hopelessly in love with her disobedient heartthrob of a Perm-Sec. Disregard for Hierarchy and Authority:
One of the core principles of a well-functioning bureaucracy is the respect for hierarchy and authority. The Head of Service is tasked with overseeing the entire civil service and ensuring efficient operation within various ministries.
When a high-ranking official like Dr. Umakhihe allegedly disobeys the Head of Service’s instructions, it sends a clear message that he does not prioritize the chain of command and does not respect, regard or uphold any form of obedience towards the institution of government. Such behavior sets a dangerous precedent and could lead to a breakdown of discipline within the civil service. Is it a crime for a caring Royal Father to enquire about development and welfare promised his beloved people? If the duo of Dr’s Umakhihe and Esan are under the false illusion that they are still under the lackadaisical, lack lustre, nonchalant, almost unconcerned do nothing Leadership of the last Administration, they have another thing coming.
One can safely say that nothing irks President Bola Tinubu more than depriving the people of good governance and the Rural Development they are entitled to. The fact that the President will deal decisively with this uncharitable, unfair, ungodly injustice and wickedness inflicted on the poor and innocent citizens of the Rural Areas by those responsible for providing development goes without saying.
In the words of our beloved President Bola Ahmed Tinubu: Dr Ernest Umakhihe & Dr Folasade Esan “Let the Poor Rural People Breeeeethe, Don’t Suffocate them You owe us that Responsibilidy”