For inviting Nigeria’s Charge D’Affairs in Pretoria, South Africa without clearance, President Goodluck Jonathan has ordered the suspension of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Danjuma Sheni.
The Perm Sec had invited the Envoy for consultation on the xenophobic attacks in South Africa last week.
A presidential aide who pleaded anonymity confirmed this, saying Sheni had earlier been queried by the Head of Service of the Federation, Danladi Kifasi, following which the President directed the suspension.
According to the presidential aide, the President felt embarrassed for the second time in a few weeks after the diplomatic row between Nigeria and Morocco over whether he indeed spoke with King Mohammed VI as claimed by the ministry.
The aide said: “The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been suspended and queried for embarrassing the President by not clearing from him before inviting the Charge D’Affairs.
“The President on Monday directed the Head of Service to query him and he has 24 hours to respond to the query.
“You will recall that that was the second embarrassment, this one coming shortly after the Morocco saga.
“The permanent secretary was to be dismissed immediately but for the civil service rule. Even at that, there will still be further consequence.
“His offence is that he invited the Charge D’Affairs without clearing from the President. The truth is that in this age and time, the ministry can make clarification from the Charge D’Affairs without necessarily inviting him. There is what is called diplomatic dispatches. They can also speak with the envoy on the telephone.
“As at now, a new permanent secretary has been redeployed to the ministry to replace him.”