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Aso Rock’s Staff Led to Swear to Secrecy
The Permanent Secretary, State House, Tijjani Umar, has cautioned members of staff against divulging classified and unauthorised information.
Mr Umar handed down this warning on Tuesday in Abuja during the administration of oath of secrecy to some members of staff of the State House.
No fewer than 42 members of staff took the oath which was administered by Justice Hamza Muazu of the FCT High Court.
The permanent secretary warned that such unauthorised disclosure was a breach of the law and would attract ‘consequences’.
“I want to begin my remarks by saying that this exercise for me is the beginning of doing what is right in our respective offices.
“Breach of classified information and documents is inimical to the delivery of service.
“Therefore, we found it necessary to assist this segment of staff who are directly dealing with classified information.
“This is a very peculiar environment and, therefore, it is important to us to remind them about their duties, their oaths, their responsibilities in all those things they are handling and then the consequences of mishandling such kind of responsibilities,’’ he said.
According to Mr Umar, “those taking the oath are staff of the C-in-C Secretariat; that is, Secretariat of the President; staff from the Registry of the Vice President, staff from the Registry of Chief of Staff to the President and the staff of the Registry of the Permanent Secretary.”
He said that others were staff of the Secret Registry of the State House and the Open Registry.
“Cumulatively, these members of staff are the ones that from day to day handle some of the most sensitive information going back and forth in our offices and in our environment.
“It is very important to us to discharge our responsibility and our obligations and to let them understand that we are going to apply the rules.
“Government as an institution is held together by laws, by rules and by regulations and those laws, rules and regulations are there to be respected, to be enforced and any breach of that will always carry a consequence.”
He said an earlier lecture “was to properly sensitise the members of staff to official secrets laws and regulations and how to avoid deliberate breach of classified information”.
Mr Umar said the exercise would be continuous and expressed delight that “so far the State House had not recorded any breach of information.”
“We have not had any breach; we don’t anticipate having any breach.
“But then, it is our duty to let them understand that if there is any, there will be consequences after investigations and that also includes after they have retired from the civil service,’’ he said.
Earlier in his remark, the Director, Special Duties, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Tukur Yahaya, said the essence of the event was to ensure the safety and security of government information, documents and facilities.
He said “secrecy was binding on every government official”.
The oath taking featured a lecture on the Official Secret Act which focused on patriotism, passion, truthfulness, integrity, loyalty, reliability dedication to duty among others from government officials.
State House Counsel Geraldine Longsten also attended the exercise which was held at the State House Auditorium.
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White smoke has risen above the Sistine Chapel, the signal that cardinals have chosen a new pope on the second day of the conclave. His identity, and the name he will take as pontiff, will be revealed soon.
There are 133 voting cardinals, who have all been sequestered inside the Vatican during the conclave. Any one of them needed two-thirds of the vote to become the next pope. Take a look at how the voting process works.
As soon as the news of the white smoke spread through the Italian capital, some people began running through the streets of Rome to get to St. Peter’s Square. People continue to stream into the square from every alley that leads to the Vatican.
In the square itself, people are hugging and crying tears of joy.
While earlier the crowd was angling to get a good view of the Sistine Chapel chimney, they are now inching closer to the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica where the new pope is expected to emerge any moment.
Source: CNN
The Senator representing Delta North, Ned Nwoko, has told Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State to leave “old habits” of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) behind as he joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Following Oborevwori’s defection, Nwoko, in a statement addressed to the governor, advised him to ensure his move to the APC is transformative.
Although he commended the governor for dumping the PDP, he advised him to leave behind “old deals” that destroyed the opposition party in Delta State.
He said, “Leave behind the politics of survival and step into the politics of legacy.”
“No one pours new wine into old wineskins. Old habits, old politics, and the old deals that led to the gradual decline of the PDP in Delta must be left behind.”
Nwoko also maintained that the ruling party has already begun preparing for constitutional amendments, including the creation of Anioma and New Delta states.
“Let me remind you, this agenda was declared a done deal by the party leadership long before your defection, a testament to the APC’s commitment to correcting historical imbalances and ending regional marginalisation,” he said.
Therefore, he urged Oborevwori to embrace a new sense of purpose, lead the charge for constitutional reforms and demonstrate renewed dedication to fairness, inclusive development, and progressive governance.
He said: “Your defection must not be symbolic; it must be transformative. This is your opportunity to embrace a new sense of purpose and demonstrate renewed dedication to progressive governance, fairness, and inclusive development.
“The creation of Anioma State will finally give voice, identity, and institutional power to the aspirations of Delta North. It is a long overdue recognition of a people who have sought parity with their kinsmen.
“The proposed New Delta will address the deep internal asymmetries within the current Delta state structure. It will empower neglected communities, bring government closer to the people, and unlock new paths for economic growth.
The suspended Chairman of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and NGOs, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi Central), has tendered a sarcastic and satirical apology to Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, reigniting discussions about gender dynamics and power struggles within Nigeria’s legislative chambers.
In a letter dripping with biting irony, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan offered what could be described as a profuse “apology” for the “grievous crime” of maintaining dignity and self-respect in the Senate President’s presence.
Mockingly, she referenced expectations of compliance, writing: “How remiss of me not to understand that my refusal to indulge your… ‘requests’ was not merely a personal choice but a constitutional violation of certain men’s entitlement.”
Addressing systemic sexism, she continued: “Please find it in your magnanimous heart — somewhere buried deep beneath layers of entitlement — to forgive this stubborn woman who mistakenly believed that her seat in the Senate was earned through elections, not erections.”
The letter read in part: “Dear Distinguished Senate President Godswill Akpabio,
It is with the deepest sarcasm and utmost theatrical regret that I tender this apology for the grievous crime of possessing dignity and self-respect in your most exalted presence. I have reflected extensively on my unforgivable failure to recognize that legislative success in certain quarters is apparently not earned through merit, but through the ancient art of compliance — of the very personal kind.
How remiss of me not to understand that my refusal to indulge your… ‘requests’ was not merely a personal choice but a constitutional violation of the unwritten laws of certain men’s entitlement. Truly, I must apologize for prioritizing competence over capitulation, vision over vanity, and the people’s mandate over private dinners behind closed doors.
I now realize the catastrophic consequences of my actions: legislation delayed, tempers flared, and the tragic bruising of egos so large they require their own postcodes. For this disruption to the natural order of ‘quid pro quo,’ I bow my head in fictional shame.
Please find it in your magnanimous heart — somewhere buried deep beneath layers of entitlement — to forgive this stubborn woman who mistakenly believed that her seat in the Senate was earned through elections, not erections.
I remain,
Yours in eternal resistance,
Senator Natasha H. Akpoti-Uduaghan
Unafraid, Unbought, and Unbroken.”
The tense relationship between Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Akpabio first surfaced publicly in July 2024 when, during a plenary session, Akpabio rebuked her attempt to speak without official recognition, remarking, “We are not in a nightclub.” The comment was widely condemned as sexist, sparking public outrage and demands for an apology.
Though Akpabio later issued a statement claiming no harm was intended and affirming his respect for women, tensions deepened. In February 2025, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan formally accused him of sexual harassment, citing inappropriate comments and advances. Her petition to Senate leadership was dismissed on procedural grounds.
The Senate later suspended her for six months over unrelated conduct, a move many Nigerians perceived as retaliatory and an attempt to silence her. The suspension triggered nationwide protests under the slogan “We are all Natasha,” with women’s rights groups and activists rallying in her defense and denouncing systemic gender-based discrimination in Nigerian politics.
While groups like the Kogi Patriotic Consultative Assembly urged her to apologize and move on, many Nigerians hailed her defiant stance, celebrating her as a symbol of resistance against entrenched biases.
For his part, Akpabio has denied all allegations, describing Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims as “baseless” and “malicious,” and has threatened legal action for defamation and character assassination.
