By Kingsley Adegboye

THE Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC and the office of the Head of Service of the Federation, may have begun investigations into alleged fraudulent falsification of documents and subsequent elongation of service by the Director of Architectural Services in the Federal Ministry of Power, Works & Housing, Mr. Sani Gidado, an architect.

The investigation followed a petition submitted to the anti-graft agency and the office of the Secretary to the Federal Government as well as the Federal Civil Service Commission by the National Anti-Corruption Volunteer Corps, NACVC, an Abuja-based anti-corruption group , alleging that Sani Gidado falsified the date of his first appointment from July 30th, 1979 to December 30th, 1982, thereby increasing his length of service by three years.

The original petition which was signed by one Nuhu Adamu was modified by the anti-corruption volunteer corps. The group further alleged efforts by the labour unions in the ministry to compel the Ministry’s management to “set the example they have been preaching to the junior staff about honesty, integrity and diligence by taking disciplinary action against Sani Gidado,” has failed to yield positive results.

“Instead, Gidado has been bragging that he cannot be touched as he has settled the schedule officers to panel beat his fraud,” the group alleged, adding that the purpose of the petition is to seek ICPC’s intervention in order to discourage persons who may want to falsify their records in a bid to defraud the government.

Falsification of documents

According to the petitioners, the seniority of Gidado who transferred his service from the Bauchi State Civil Service, was based on the use of 1979 as the date of his first appointment. Buttressing claims of falsification of documents by the Director, the petitioner alleged that “you will find no single record of the numerous documents hand-filled by Gidado before 2009 (Emolument forms, Aper forms, promotion forms . A.B &C, HOS Manpower development forms etc) which everyone completes severally every year. While you will readily find anybody else’s, Gidado with the aid of his collaborators, has methodically removed all his. Neither will you find any record of his gazetted first appointment or confirmation as these will reveal his date of first appointment dated 30/7/1979″.

Forwarding the petition to the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, the Federal Civil Service Commission in a letter dated 16th February 2016, stated that in its efforts to find out the truth of the matter, the Commission “ stumbled over the Head of Civil Service of the Federation Senior Staff list which confirms the bio-data of the officer in question”.

The letter which was signed on behalf of the Chairman of the Commission by Mr. R. B. Tinubu, explained that the document will be of assistance in finding out the authenticity or otherwise of the petition.

The anti-graft agency could not comment on the petition because it is not allowed to discuss petitions submitted to it on the pages of the newspaper.

The man in the eye of the storm, Arc. Gidado did not pick his calls when our correspondent tried to get his comments.