She Should Resign!’ — Reuben Abati Fires At Head Of Civil Service Over PFIPC Controversy

Veteran broadcaster and Arise News anchor Reuben Abati has called on the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, to resign following her admission that adequate due diligence was not carried out before key approvals were granted to the controversial Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC).

Abati made the remarks during Thursday’s edition of The Morning Show on Arise Television while reacting to the ongoing House of Representatives investigation into the activities of the disputed agency.

He argued that Walson-Jack’s acknowledgement of procedural lapses amounted to an admission of institutional failure and should attract personal accountability.

According to Abati, in many jurisdictions, such an admission would ordinarily be followed by a resignation because it reflected a breakdown in the responsibilities of the office.

The former presidential spokesman said the revelation exposed serious weaknesses in the Federal Civil Service’s verification processes, particularly in relation to the approval of new government agencies.

He questioned how officials could assign staff to the individual presented as the Director-General of the PFIPC without first confirming the authenticity of the agency’s purported Establishment Act.

Abati maintained that the incident raised broader concerns about governance and called for investigators to determine whether similar approvals may have been granted to other agencies based on questionable documentation.

He urged authorities to conduct a comprehensive audit to establish whether additional ministries, departments or agencies had been recognised or funded without proper legal backing.

Describing the development as an embarrassment to the country, Abati said the investigation should go beyond the PFIPC case to determine the full extent of any procedural failures within the public service.

He concluded that, in his view, Walson-Jack should take responsibility for the lapses by stepping down from office.