FG reaffirms Dec 31 switch to paperless civil service

Participants at the HoS Kano meeting on reforms. Photo: Hussaini Ibrahim.

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The Federal Government is set to begin a comprehensive personnel audit and develop a successor plan for the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP-25) as part of reforms to modernise Nigeria’s public service.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, disclosed this on Wednesday during the plenary session of the 47th National Council on Establishments, held in Kano from December 1 to 5.

Walson-Jack said the reforms are designed to future-proof the Nigerian civil service and position it to meet modern governance demands.

She praised the Kano State Government and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for hosting the council, noting that the warmth extended by the state reflected its deep commitment to national unity, public service excellence, and progressive governance.

According to Mrs Walson-Jack, the NCE—described as the apex platform for establishment matters—must take decisions that shape the competence of civil servants and the credibility of public institutions.

“The success of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda depends on a civil service that is efficient, innovative, accountable, and globally competitive,” she noted.

Continuing, the Head of the civil service force pointed out that, “No nation can rise above the quality of its public service.”

She disclosed that the collaboration between the Federal Civil Service and states had intensified over the past year through joint capacity development programmes, peer-learning retreats, reform dialogues, and harmonised policies.

Arewa PUNCH reports that as FCSSIP-25 winds down, work has begun to review its implementation and produce a successor framework prioritising digital governance, talent acceleration, innovation ecosystems, leadership development, and global best practices.

“One of our most transformative initiatives is a comprehensive personnel audit and skills gap analysis,” Walson-Jack said, adding that, “It will eliminate ghost records, strengthen payroll integrity, and provide a reliable staff database for future human resource decisions.”

She reiterated the government’s target of achieving a fully paperless civil service by December 31, 2025, directing ministries and extra-ministerial departments to expedite onboarding to the enterprise content management platform.

The HoS also disclosed that the Federal Executive Council recently approved three policies—the Rewards and Recognition System, Incentives and Consequence Management and the Mentoring Policy and Guidelines—to strengthen workplace culture, accountability, and succession planning.

“The reforms we are pursuing will define the civil service of tomorrow. We must build a public service worthy of our citizens and capable of driving national development,” she noted.

Highlighting Kano State’s contribution to national governance, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Farouq Ibrahim, said the state has long maintained a strong relationship with the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

He noted that some of the country’s most respected federal civil servants hailed from Kano, contributing “immensely to national growth and institutional development.”

Ibrahim added that several programmes now adopted by the federal government and the 36 states—such as the school feeding initiative, the Agency for Mass Education, and the network of technical schools—were pioneered in Kano and “set the pace for others to follow.”

He said the council session goes beyond administrative reforms, touching on deeper questions about unity, cohesion, and national development, which remain challenges requiring honest reflection.

“We must ensure that what we hand over to the next generation is a legacy they can remember with pride, not regret,” Ibrahim said, urging participants to follow the positive examples set by past reform champions.

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