Appointment Of New Accountant-General: CSOs Urge Tinubu To Halt Process

A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) with operational areas in different states of the Nigeria have alerted President Tinubu over the process of appointing a new Accountant-General of the Federation, as being undertaken by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Monday, the coalition led by Emmanuel Fatemen, said it had written a letter to Tinubu in which he alleged that the process had been hijacked by influential members of opposition parties against the President.

While commending President Tinubu for his “competence, credibility, transparency and integrity”, in selecting appointees for various offices, Fateman, who led other members of the coalition to the conference, urged the President to urgently intervene and restore transparency to the process .
In a statement read on behalf of the group by Fateman, President Tinubu was urged to invite all those who applied for and wrote the selection examinations for the AGF position, so that he can interact one and one with them to see that the best were not those presented as having passed the examination.

The statement said: “The essence of this letter is to bring to your knowledge that our dissatisfaction with respect to the controversy and illegality rocking and/or surrounding the appointment of an Accountant-General of the Federation upon the retirement of the incumbent occupant.

“Your Excellency, sir, on the 11th February, 2025, edition of the Daily Trust Newspaper, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federal (HCSF), Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack issued a statement wherein she informed Nigerians that the Federal Government has begun the process of appointing a new Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) and two Federal Permanent Secretaries, following the approval of your excellency.

“In the same statement Sir, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation also emphasised that the appointment will adhere to a structured, transparent and merit-driven process to ensure only qualified and competent individuals are selected.

“However, it is our observation that the assurances given by the Honourable Head of the Civil Service of the Federation are greatly and unequivocally in doubt, and we humbly make the following recommendations to Your Excellency:

“Firstly, the appointment of persons into the position of the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) should not be based on recommendation by Godfathers or favouritism. This is because, anyone who has the power to recommend another for appointment into a position must as a matter of necessity have influence over that other person.
This is in line with the African adage that – “he who pays the piper dictates the tone”. Rather, it is our recommendation that the appointment be based on competence and previous or past records.

“Secondly, the appointment process had been marred with irregularities, fraud, favouritism and undue influence. The examination process was not fair and transparent at all, as the best candidates had not been invited to the next stage, and proper vetting of the candidates by the appropriate agencies were not done.

“To ascertain these assertions and allegations, it is our recommendation that his Excellency invite all those who applied for and wrote the selection examinations so the president can interact one and one with them to see that the best were not those presented as having passed the examination. This will enable His Excellency to see firsthand the most competent candidate for that position.

“Thirdly, the appointment process had been hijacked by members of the opposition parties, who have no interest in success of this administration. His Excellency should look into this very vital point, as allowing this appointment process to continue undisturbed, uncontrolled and unrestricted in the hands of members of the oppositions might be detrimental to the political chances of His Excellency in 2027 and limit the chances of His Excellency’s success in the next general elections in 2027.

“His Excellency Sir, as an offshoot of the aforementioned genuine and concerned reasons, it is our humble plea that you cancel the entire appointment process to the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, and issue a directive to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to halt the entire process, and put a stop to further examination and/or interviews until further notice, when a more transparent and credible process will be used.”