ORDAINED TYRANT: HOW PERM. SEC MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND CULTURE GRACE GEKPE TRAUMATIZES STAFF AND RENDER MINISTRY COMATOSE

Secret Reporters

In Nigeria, it has become a norm that most public officers in order to flaunt their egoistic nature as “Ogas at the top” abuse their office and in most cases rain verbal and physical abuses on their subordinates, as well as undermine their working conditions in the discharge of their duties as against standard practices. This is currently the practice in the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, one of the most highly held public offices within the nation and saddled with the responsibility of providing Nigerians with credible and timely information on government activities and initiatives have now resorted to subjecting its staff to inhumane treatments.

Information reaching SecretReporters reveal that the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture Deaconess Grace Gekpe, has become a thorn in the flesh of her subordinates and other staff of the ministry as it is alleged that she has deprived them access to necessary technological equipment from available funds which are supposed to assist in the effective discharge of their duties to aid Nigeria’s socio-economic and information development.

Grace Isu Gekpe who is an ordained Deaconess and a spiritual mother, appears to have taken an oath of hypocrisy as it is alleged that she in no way practices what she preaches on the pulpit as is seen in her colossal attitude toward her subordinates in the ministry.

Sources told this online medium that Deaconess Grace, who have held various posts in several public offices in other parastatals left them in a worst state than she met them and has modified her scheme to cause discomfort and pain to the staff of the ministry. Workers confided in us that the ministry and other corporations under the ministry have been left in a total blackout due to power outage which has caused serious setbacks to the operations of the ministry.

It was also alleged that in a bid to cripple operations in the ministry, the callous Permanent Secretary refused to approve funds for the servicing of faulty generators, fully aware of the inconsistency of power supply to the ministry which has hampered the free flow of information to Nigerians which has overtime affected the operations of the Radio House thus resulting in the rickety flow of information to citizens.

Further information from a source within the ministry revealed that due to the nonchalant and hostile attitude of the Permanent Secretary, staff of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) recently embarked on a protest in the radio house crying out to the Government to come to their aid as they lack staff welfare and no conducive working condition for members of the ministry, a practice which affects others parastatals under the information arm of the ministry. “There’s a systematic and gradual process of killing the information arm of the ministry by the Permanent Secretary” he lamented.

The impact of the ill-treatment which is deeply felt in the ministry also prompted staff of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to embark on a protest, just like their colleagues in FRCN. Investigations by our reporter also revealed that several proposals have been written and submitted to Deaconess Grace for an improved working condition of Service and welfare package but they have all fallen on deaf ears as she consistently refused to implement the proposals or outrightly turned them down.