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FG Sets Up Committees for Civil Service Personnel Audit, Skills Gap Analysis

Published

1 month ago

August 27, 2025

By Joel Ajayi

In a decisive step toward reforming the Nigerian Civil Service, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, OON, mni, on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, inaugurated the Steering and Project Implementation Committees for the Service-wide Personnel Audit and Skills Gap Analysis.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Director of Information and Public Relations, OHCSF, Mrs. Eno Olotu, the initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and seeks to build a modern, efficient, and fit-for-purpose Civil Service. The exercise aims to determine the true size, structure, and skills composition of the workforce while identifying competencies required for future service excellence.

Delivering her keynote address, Mrs. Walson-Jack emphasized that “the machinery of governance can only function effectively when powered by the right calibre of human capital, strategically deployed and continuously developed.” She noted that the audit will establish a verified, digital personnel database linked to National Identification Numbers (NIN) and Bank Verification Numbers (BVN), thereby eliminating ghost workers, correcting inconsistencies, and producing an accurate workforce profile.

The initiative will further: Identify current and future skills gaps in critical areas such as ICT, project management, public finance, and data analysis, Review and strengthen training programmes for targeted capacity development, Enhance Human Resource Management systems through the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) and Improve efficiency and cut costs by plugging financial leakages, eliminating redundancies, and enabling strategic redeployment of resources.

She stressed that the exercise is developmental rather than punitive, describing it as a data-driven reform designed to reposition the Federal Civil Service for present and future challenges.

The Steering Committee, chaired by the HCSF, comprises key Permanent Secretaries, the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Director-General of the Budget Office, a representative from the Presidency, and relevant consultants. It is mandated to provide policy direction, approve milestones, and ensure alignment with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 (FCSSIP-25).

The Project Implementation Committee, chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Common Services Office, OHCSF, Dr. Danjuma Usman Kalba, includes senior OHCSF directors, representatives of the accountant-General’s Office, the Federal Civil Service Commission, and retired senior civil servants with technical expertise. Its duties cover methodology validation, data collection, compliance checks, and timely reporting.

In her welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Service Policies and Strategies Office, Dr. Deborah Odoh, described the exercise as “a significant step toward an efficient, productive, and effective Civil Service.”

Speaking on behalf of both committees, Dr. Kalba commended President Tinubu for approving what he called “a bold reform fully aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda.” He stressed that the audit is a strategic initiative aimed at strengthening institutions and ensuring value for money in governance.

Mrs. Walson-Jack charged both committees to commence work immediately with professionalism and integrity, adding that the successful completion of the exercise would lay a strong foundation for an efficient, productive, incorruptible, and citizen-centred Civil Service.

The Steering Committee is expected to complete its assignment within six months, while the Project Implementation Committee will deliver its outputs in four months.

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Tin City Warms Up for President Tinubu as North Central Embraces Renewed Hope

Published

1 day ago

October 4, 2025

The Gleamer

By Sunday Dare

When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu berths on the plains and rolling hills that dominate the Jos landscape tomorrow, he will meet a people resourceful, friendly and resilient but weighed down by conflict, yet unbowed by adversity.

So, tommorrow, national attention turns to the Plateau- a locale laden with history and rich with potential. From the tin mines that gave the city of Jos its name, to the Irish potato, strawberry farms and beetroot plantations that dot its landscape, Jos remains a land of promise—truly the Home of Peace and Tourism.

Jos is also deeply woven into Nigeria’s political history. Plateau is home to towering figures such as Generals JD Gomwalk, Yakubu Gowon, John Shagaya, Joshua Dogoyaro, and Jerry Useni. Solomon Lar, Senator Ibrahim Mantu and numerous others also stand tall in the annals Plateau political history.

Jos was also the rallying ground of the famed Langtang Mafia—a group of influential military officers from Langtang in Plateau State who, at the height of their power, played a significant role in Nigeria’s political and military affairs.

The story of Jos is both exciting and excruciating. The city lost its innocence some two and a half decades ago, when the popular Terminus Market was reduced to rubble through acts of arson and looting.

Thus at the turn of the millennium by 2001, Jos—and by extension, Plateau—was thrown into a cycle of unending conflict. Ethnic tensions, clothed in religious garb, tore through the city and spread across the state, dragging Jos into an abyss of violence, almost of Kigali proportions. Peace gave way to war, and tourism jaunts became undertakings to the undertaker.

Yet Jos has never surrendered. Every time it is written off, it rises again—scarred, but resilient. With its multi-ethnic, multi-religious fabric, the Plateau continues to trudge on in pursuit of peace, development, and egalitarian ideals.

It was here, in Jos, that Nigeria’s democratic resurgence was birthed. The historic SDP convention, where late General Shehu Yar’Adua and Chief Moshood Abiola held sway, took place in this city. Jos gave political life to Abiola, our hero of democracy in 1992

Now, thirty three years later, another hero of democracy and of the June 12 struggle returns to the Plateau. President Tinubu’s return and visit to Plateau State is not just to honor the transition to glory of Nana Lydia Yilwatda, the mother of the APC National Chairman.

It is a visit that carries deeper meaning—one of empathy, solidarity, and renewed hope for a people who have endured decades of turmoil. It is a mission to preach peace, console the bereaved, bind wounds, and assure Plateau of its central place in the Nigerian project.

Mr President comes not just to mourn, but to reconnect. He comes to parley with the North Central, to commiserate with a people who have suffered, and to extend the hand of renewed hope. That Renewed Hope is laying a solid foundation as evidenced by Naira at N1,455 per dollar, rising Foreign Reserves at $43bn, Trade surplus heading for N25tr. Revenues up 411% and Inflation down to about 20 per cent. Over 600,000 students benefiting from NELFUND.

This visit is more than ceremonial. It is a journey into the very soul of a people who have known pain, yet remain resilient; a land scarred by conflict, yet still brimming with hope and promise. As the Tin City opens its arms, Jos will not just receive the President—it will receive a message of solidarity, healing, and renewal.

Tomorrow is about remembering the glorious past, confronting the present, and charting a path to a peaceful and prosperous Plateau within a united Nigeria. With President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Jos once again stands at the intersection of history and destiny.

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