The federal government has described the redeployment of some permanent secretaries shortly before former President Muhammadu Buhari handed over to President Bola Tinubu as a routine exercise.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF), Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan made this known in a reaction to trending rumours that the redeployment was secretly done for some ulterior motives, particularly at a time there was going to be a change in government.

Naija News gathered that there have been complaints from some quarters that the HoCSF carried out a secret redeployment of some federal permanent secretaries a few days before the end of the tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Those affected included Dr Shuaib Belgore who was redeployed from the Ministry of Interior to Niger Delta Affairs; Dr Oluwatoyin Akinlade redeployed from Mines and Steel Development to the Ministry of Interior; and Mr James Sule, redeployed from Cabinet Affairs Office to the Ministry of Science and Technology.

“The fact that the exercise was not announced, kept a secret, and those affected were simply invited to the office of the HoCSF to receive their letters,” Daily Trust quoted a senior government official to have said.

But reacting to the development, the Director, Press and Public Relations in the Office of the HoCSF, Mr Mohammed Ahmed, said it is not compulsory to issue press releases on such re-deployment, adding that what happened was purely a routine administrative work and has nothing to do with a change in government.

“It is not every time that we issue press releases on such re-deployment, is it not a routine administrative work? This is a rumour. Does the re-deployment of permanent secretaries have anything to do with the change in government?

“It is a routine administrative exercise. Permanent secretaries were appointed at the twilight of the previous administration. This has nothing to do with change in government,” he said.