Head of Service of the Federation (HoS) Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, may have offered to resign following reports of a N3 billion fraud she is enmeshed in. She is accused of using some companies to siphon government funds. However, a presidential spokesman, Shehu Garba has denied seeing seeing any letter of resignation.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) opened investigation over sum with the HoS submitting herself to questioning.
It appears she has offered to resign immediately following recent reports that she has taken a “sick leave” OR “bed rest”.
Pressure from her family sources say may have changed her mind to instead retire rather than drag out the scandal that will trail her possible arraignment and trial.
Although she has denied involvement in fraud, she has however bowed to family pressures and sent in a letter on Sunday offering to proceed on retirement.
There are murmurs that her public falling out with the president’s chief of staff may have led to her present predicament.
President Buhari who returned to Abuja at the weekend following the Sallah holidays is yet to take a decision on it but we learnt that he is May not oppose the option.
Oyo-Ita is conspicuously absent at a retreat currently being attended by top government functionaries for recently appointed ministers. It’s a presidential event.
She resumed as HoS in 2015 after she was appointed by President Buhari. She was then a permanent secretary in the Special Duties Ministry.
The EFCC said the petition against her was written in 2014 when President Goodluck Jonathan was still in office.
However, The Cable reporting says Oyo-Ita in denying the allegation, said the money was meant for the death benefits of staff and was meant to be kept in a designated account for that purpose by the project accountant.
“She denied knowing anything about where the money was kept and said there was no fraud involved, at least not from her end,” the family member said.
