TheCable

President Muhammadu Buhari has asked 17 permanent secretaries to proceed on terminal leave.

He informed the affected officers at a meeting on Tuesday at the presidential villa, sources confirmed to TheCable.

They were led to the closed-door meeting by the acting head of service of the federation, Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita.

TheCable understands some of the perm secs had been grumbling that Oyo-Ita was “too junior” to be the head of service.

Ministers are going to be inaugurated tomorrow, but Buhari had been working with the permanent secretaries since he was inaugurated in May.

At some point, he said the civil servants were the ones doing the real work of government, remarking that ministers only make “the noise”.