ICPC invites foreign affairs ministry official over sexual harassment allegations against permanent secretary

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has invited the official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who levelled sexual harassment allegations against the Permanent Secretary in the ministry for an interview.

Simisola Fajemirokun-Ajayi’s allegations of sexual harassment against the permanent secretary, Ibrahim Lamuwa, have already triggered an investigation by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF).

On Thursday, ICPC wrote a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, asking him to release Mrs Fajemirokun-Ajayi, his aide, for an interview at 10 a.m. on Friday (today).

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“In view of the above and pursuant to sections 28 and 40 of the said Act, you are kindly requested to release and direct Mrs Simisola Fajemirokun-Ajayi of the Ministry to appear for an interview before the undersigned at the Commission’s Headquarters, Abuja, on Friday, 14 June 2024 at 10:00 hours,” read the invitation letter dated 11 June and signed by Acting Director of Operations, S. Yahaya.

It is not immediately clear whose petition led to the ICPC investigation or what exactly the agency is investigating..

The permanent secretary is the most senior civil servant in the ministry and is responsible for its day-to-day running. He reports to the minister, who is the overall head of the ministry and is responsible for policy implementation.

Mrs Fajemirokun-Ajayi, who is serving as an aide to the minister, alleged in her petition that she faced persistent sexual harassment from Mr Lamuwa.

She said it became so persistent and troubling to the point that she began to be apprehensive about getting raped.

She alleged that Mr Lamuwa’s conduct created an unsafe work environment, especially as her roles required her to work closely with and report to him often.

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She said one such incident occurred on 7 October 2023 when the permanent secretary allegedly inappropriately suggested to her to visit his hotel room at the end of President Bola Tinubu’s 4D policy review. 

Meanwhile, Mr Lamuwa has addressed each alleged incident mentioned in the complainant’s petition in the response sent to the office of the head of service.

He said the complainant maliciously misconstrued the instances as sexual harassment.

He also made a counter-accusation, alleging that Mrs Fajemirokun-Ajayi’s “malicious claims” against him resulted from his constant rejection of her “improper requests” about the ministry’s finances.

According to him, a particular instance was when Mrs Fajemirokun-Ajayi, unfamiliar with civil service rules and processes, asked for access to policy files and even financial records of high-level ministry activities.

“By no means should the permanent secretary, as chief accounting officer of the ministry, provide such sensitive documents to an aide of the minister, worse via a WhatsApp chat. There are due processes in government, and they must be followed.

“We must emphasise that Mrs Fajemirokun-Ajayi is a political appointee, not a civil servant. Thus, finance and policy matters are out of her bounds in this instance,” the letter read.

He argued that the petition was only shared online to gather public attention and sympathy for her “unsubstantiated claims.”