*I Was Appointed By Mandate Secretary, Won’t Step Down, She Says
*No, You Must Quit, You’re Not Most Senior –Perm Sec, Staff Members
By Felix Durumbah, Abuja
A huge leadership succession storm has engulfed the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS) of Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), popularly known as Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) in Abuja, in the wake of the retirement of the agency’s Director, Malam Abdulateef Bello.
Bello retired on mandatory age grounds and was pulled out on September 12 this year, handing over as acting Director of the money-spinning agency to the body’s Deputy Director (Operations), Mrs Deborah Alaba Osho, described as his right hand person.
However, investigations by People&Politics showed that Osho is not the next most senior officer in the organization to be handed the reins amid concerns that Public Service Rule (PSR) 7/020708(B) may have been flagrantly violated in the process –for unknown reasons.
The particular PSR provision is clear that hand-over must be to the most senior officer.
Concerned staff members have consequently cried foul over Bello’s hand-over, insisting that Osho,apart from not being the next most senior, is allegedly not competent to act as head of DRTS because, according to them, apart from allegedly being technically deficient, she is not an administrative officer.
Civil Service regulations stipulate that where an officer to head an agency is not technically qualified for such role, he/she must,at least, be an administrative personnel.
A civic advocacy group, Traffic Transparency Initiative, has, on behalf of DRTS employees, fired a petition to FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, alleging forgery, incompetence and other misdemeanors against Osho –claims denied, however, by external persons close to her.
It asked the Minister to stand down her alleged self-imposition on the agency as new boss, pointing out that her accession to the plum seat was negatively impacting productivity and employee morale.
A further blow to Osho’s ambition came on September 16 –four days after she acceded to the top seat –when a letter, addressed to her, arrived from the supervising FCTA Transportation Secretariat directing her to immediately step down for Mr Johnson Andrew Onoja, the agency’s Deputy Director (Administration).
The letter, a copy of which was obtained by People&Politics, was signed by the Permanent Secretary, Transportation Secretariat, Mrs. Florence Nornubari Okonkwo.
Secretariats in the FCTA structure are equivalent to Ministries in State governments because Section 299 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) stipulates that FCT shall be run “as if it were one of the States of the Federation.”
On the strength of this constitutional teeth, a Mandate Secretary in FCTA is the equivalent of a State Commissioner.
With reference numbers FCT/TS/OPS/54/001 and titled ‘Handing Over Of Activities Of Directorate Of Road Traffic Services (VIO) To The Appropriate Officer’, the four-paragraph letter from the Transportation Secretariat, among others, informed Osho that “you are by this letter directed to hand over with immediate effect, all that was handed over to you during the pull-out ceremony to Mr Onoja, Johnson Andrew, the Deputy Director (Administration) pending the posting of a substantive Director.”
The letter restated the provisions of PSR Section 7/020708(B) which states that “any officer leaving any office should hand over to the most Senior Officer of the department or agency, of which in this case for now, you are not the most senior Officer.”
Furthermore, the Permanent Secretary stated that available information spoke of Bello’s handing over to Osho as having sparked “an uproar in the Directorate and indeed the entire Transportation Secretariat of FCT Administration.”
A stamp indicating receipt of the letter by Office of the DRTS Director, was dated same September 16,2025. It was signed by an official in the office.
When People&Politics reached Mrs Osho on the telephone over the vexed matter, she claimed to have a letter from the Mandate Secretary for Transportation, Dr Elechi Chinedum, appointing her to act as Director.
“Who is the Head of the Transportation Secretariat? The Mandate Secretary,of course. I have a letter from the Mandate Secretary appointing me to this position and can only adhere to that,” she stated.
When People&Politics reached the Assistant Director/Head of Information, Transportation Secretariat, Leticia Wogu, on the seeming impasse, she promised to get back to us the today,but did not.
As the succession row deepened, DRTS staff members insisted that going by Civil Service procedures, there was no way the Permanent Secretary and Mandate Secretary can send out two different letters on appointment to two different staff members in same agency over such important public position.
An obviously agitated worker told the paper: “It is just not done. And DRTS case will not be the first instance. Civil service-wide, this is not done anywhere.
“Before such appointment is announced, both the Mandate Secretary and Permanent Secretary will agree on the appointee and then the Permanent Secretary will send out the letter.
“She is giving the impression that there’s fighting between both top officials of the Secretariat, which is not so. All we’re asking for is, let the most senior officer act as Director.”
PHOTO CAPTION: Osho (middle), front row, at a function.
