The Special Duties Department is a creation of the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation vide circular Ref No: HCSF/CMOLEM/234/17 dated 11th March, 2014.
Mandate of the Department:
The mandate of the department is to effectively and efficiently coordinate, integrate, manage and supervise the direct reporting units in the office of the Permanent Secretary, and to assist the Permanent Secretary as required to formulate and articulate leadership agenda for the Ministry.
Also the department is to coordinate the activities of all the nine (9) state offices of the Niger Delta Region which acts as a spindle for the ministries actualization of its overall objectives, with a view to fast track the much needed development of the Niger Delta Region. The State Offices are crucial to the operations of the Ministry as the work towards providing the collaboration between the Federal Government and the Niger Delta States, Local Governments and Host Communities.
Function of the Department
The Department was created to provide the following:
- Effective coordination, management and supervision of the direct Reporting units in the office of the Permanent Secretary.
- To assist the Permanent Secretary as required to formulate and articulate leadership agenda for the Ministry.
- Supervision of man, money and material in the nine (9) State Offices of the Ministry.
- Representing Permanent Secretary at functions. Providing Secretariat Services to high level meetings of the Permanent Secretary.
- Scheduling all staff meeting and briefing.
- Managing and supervising the direct reporting units in the office of the Permanent Secretary.
- Undertake advocacy with stakeholders, opinion leader, political leaders and Traditional leaders of the nine (9) states of the Niger Delta Region. s Coordinate the Ministry inspection tour to Government developmental projects.
- Arrangement of external visits, courtesy calls, meetings of the Honourable Minister and Permanent Secretary.
Structure and Functions of the Units:
The Department is headed by a Director, structured into the following Units:
- Office of the Director (Special Duties)
- Anti-corruption and Transparency Monitoring Unit
- Protocol Unit
- Stock Verification Unit
Office of the Director (Special Duties): coordinates the activities of the state offices in the nine (9) states of Niger Delta Region comprising the following states: Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross-River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers. The State Offices are headed by coordinators who are Directorate Cadre Professionals and the report to the Director Special Duties on all matters that involve the Ministry.
Anti-Corruption and Transparency Monitoring Unit (ACTU): was established to undertake the underlined functions with the exception of prosecution.
- Preliminary investigation of petitioning referred to it, with finding forwarded to ICPC and copy to management;
- Enforcement of ethics and integrity compliance within the Ministry;
- Study and reviewing the practices, systems and procedures in the Ministry with report forwarded to ICPC;
- Budget implementation and monitoring to ensure compliance with the provisions in the Appropriation, and
- Education and public Enlightenment through tailor made workshop seminars, retreat on the ills of corrupt practices. All these are aimed at effectively fighting corruption ‘in the public service.
The Protocol Unit: The Unit is responsible for facilitating the travels and tours of the Honourable Minister of State, Permanent Secretary, Directors and other eligible staff of the Ministry. Its functions extend also to providing effective and efficient protocol services required to enhance the overall service delivery and attainment of the goal and mandate of the Ministry.
Stock Verification Unit: The Unit is saddled with the responsibility of internal check on all four (4) stores operated in the Ministry namely: general store, computer store, stationary store and capital store. The officer-in-charge is obligated to generate reports at intervals and forward same to the accounting officer for guidance.
Outstanding Achievement:
- Creation of awareness on the activities and development strides of Ministry in the Host Communities;
- Promotion of dialogue and collaboration between the Ministry and stakeholders in Niger Delta. Use of efficient communication strategies to enhance peace and harmonious interaction as well as relationship with the host communities in the Region.
- Coordination of the facility management security services of the nine (9) states in the Niger Region.
- Collating and collecting basic information/data for policies and management decision making.
- Professionals are now state coordinators which has enhanced efficient coordination of the state offices.
- The stock verification unit ensured that the store accounting records are properly kept to prevent loss of government properties.
- The protocol unit facilitated travels and tours of the Honourable Minister, Honourable Minister of State, Permanent Secretary, Directors and other eligible staff of the Ministry.
- The Anti-corruption and Transparency Unity (ACTU) had education and public enlightenment through tailored made workshop, seminars, and retreat on the ills of corrupt practices. All these aimed at effectively fighting corruption in the public service.
