‘He’s a junior officer’ — group asks Tinubu to reverse Chira’s appointment as auditor-general

A group known as the Worried Nigerian Citizens(WNC) has asked President Bola Tinubu to reverse the appointment of Shaakaa Chira as the auditor-general of the federation.

In a statement on Monday, Moses Idika, convener of the group, said Chira’s appointment contravened the law of the Nigerian civil service which rewards hard work.

Tinubu recently approved the appointment of Chira as the substantive auditor-general of the federation after his recommendation by the federal civil service commission.

Idika said Chira is the most junior director in the office and lacks the requisite experience for the job.

The group also signed a petition addressed to Tinubu and ccopied Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to the president, Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house of representatives, and the head of the civil service commission.

In the petition, the group said the appointment of Chira would weaken the morale of other civil servants who are hardworking and committed to their jobs.

“The senate last week put on hold the confirmation of Mr. Shaakaa Chira as the substantive auditor-general of the federation,” the statement reads.

“We are aware that several directors within the office of the auditor-general of the federation were behind the petition that the senate relied upon to put on hold the confirmation of Mr. Chira as the auditor-general of Nigeria.

“We are concerned over the brewing disquiet that has greeted the appointment of Mr. Shaakaa Chira as the auditor-general of the federation, unlike several other appointments made by President Bola Tinubu in the last few months.

“The disquiet stems from the fact that Mr. Chira the 18th on the line of seniority in the office of the auditor-general of the federation was appointed to leap and head the 17 other directors who are his seniors.

“It is instructive for the federal government to take into cognizance the debilitating effect this appointment may have on the civil service and the moral of officers of the service.

“The Nigeria Civil Service like others in other parts of the world thrives on hard work and elevation rooted in promotions and unbroken chain of command.

“The latest appointment of President Bola Tinubu strikes at the core of the civil service in that it has potential to dampen the moral of civil servants who may now feel that hard work no longer matters if one has “long legs” within the government.

“We, therefore, call on Mr. President to reverse the appointment in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the president which we strongly believe is rooted in re-directing the minds of Nigerians to have hope in our institutions, our government and in our laws.”

The convener urged the national assembly to stand on the side of the people, adding that the rule of civil service must be adhered to.