The Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has asserted that there are moles in the incumbent administration working secretly for the opposition.
Though he did not directly mention which party, Onanuga believed there were individuals who were leaking documents out to the public and stressed the need for the Federal Government to take decisive action to identify and remove individuals.
He noted that the civil service framework is currently under investigation following the request of the Presidency.
The purpose of this investigation, Onanuga said, is to identify and eliminate individuals who are considered “moles.”
Truetells Nigeria understands that a recent internal memo was allegedly leaked, suggesting that President Tinubu approved the disbursement of N500 million out of a total of N1 billion to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume.
These funds were intended for the inauguration of a 37-member Tripartite Committee responsible for discussing the New National Minimum Wage.
Onanuga, however, expressed displeasure with the development, stressing that these moles are responsible for the unauthorised disclosure of the classified documents.
“This step is crucial in ensuring the security and maintenance of sensitive information,” Daily Post quoted the presidential aide saying.
Onanuga said, “What is worrisome is, how come a memo written by SGF to the President bearing the President’s signature leaked out? It means that there are some fifth columnists-within the government.
“It’s not the first time a memo will leak. There was a memo leak when the President went to UNGA about a request for money to pay for his hotel bills, and you wonder where it is leaking from.
“There are so many moles around who are probably doing the bidding of the opposition. They do not respect the civil service rule for handling official secrets. And it shows that the government should look inwards to probe how memos between officials are getting into the public space. Memos that are supposed to be secret are not supposed to be flying all over the place.”
‘This Is Financial Recklessness’ – PDP Blasts Tinubu Over Purported Approval Of N500 Million For Inauguration Of New National Minimum Wage Committee
Earlier, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), reacted to President Bola Tinubu’s purported approval of N500 million for the inauguration of the 37-man Tripartite Committee on New National Minimum Wage.
The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, inaugurated a 37-man Tripartite Committee on New National Minimum Wage at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on January 30, 2024.
However, a letter addressed to the President by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, released by an anonymous journalist, shows the initial request submitted to Tinubu was a budget of N1.8 billion, which he refused to approve.
The report alleged that Akume submitted another budget of N1 billion, but Tinubu insisted that the committee begin with N500 million.
Reacting, the opposition party, in a statement released through its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, described the purported approval as the height of profligacy and financial recklessness.
PDP noted that it is highly provocative that Tinubu is spending such an amount of money, especially when Nigerians are undergoing excruciating economic hardship.
The PDP further called on Tinubu to speak out, come clean and address the nation on this weighty allegation.