Lokpobiri seeks digital skills training for civil servants

File: Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri.

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The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, has urged the Office of the Head of the Civil Service to prioritise capacity-building for ministers and civil servants to ensure the success of Nigeria’s push towards a fully digital public service.

Lokpobiri made the call on Wednesday in Abuja during the flag-off of the Enterprise Content Management System at the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, warning that many public officials still operate in “analogue” mode despite the Federal Government’s digitalisation drive.

Lokpobiri’s call for comprehensive training comes just hours after the Minister of Works, David Umahi, publicly admitted at a press briefing on Tuesday that he was still struggling to fully adapt to the new digital work processes and would require additional training to effectively operate within the system.

“There are a lot of analogue civil servants. There are also a lot of analogue ministers that you need to train so that this thing will be used by everyone,” he said. “Some people are not technology-savvy, so you need to train everybody to maximise the opportunities available.”

The ECMS, deployed on the 1Gov Cloud platform, is designed to replace manual, paper-based processes with electronic approvals, automated workflows, and secure digital record-keeping, significantly reducing delays associated with file movement across offices.

Lokpobiri described the initiative as transformative, noting that Nigeria had for too long relied on cumbersome manual processes that slowed decision-making and increased operational costs.

“One of our major challenges has been the analogue way of doing things. Sometimes, to get simple documentation approved, people have to travel physically, even outside the country, just to sign papers. Sometimes it takes weeks,” he said. “This initiative changes that narrative and aligns Nigeria with global best practices.”

He commended the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation for driving the reform, stressing that digital systems would strengthen institutions, improve resource utilisation, and unlock greater value across the oil and gas sector through efficient information management and record-keeping.

In her address, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, said the deployment of the ECMS places the Ministry of Petroleum Resources on track to meet the Federal Government’s directive on full digitalisation of work processes by December 31, 2025.

She explained that the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s public service reform agenda, which seeks to build an efficient, accountable, and digitally enabled civil service capable of translating policy into results.

“This initiative strengthens the effectiveness of the public service by enabling faster work processes, secure record management, and reduced reliance on paper,” Walson-Jack said. “For a ministry that plays a strategic role in Nigeria’s economic stability and energy security, this milestone is both timely and significant.”

She noted that the petroleum ministry’s efficiency directly impacts revenue generation, investment confidence, and national planning, adding that manual processes could no longer meet the operational demands of a sector with constant engagement with regulators, operators, and other ministries, departments, and agencies.

According to her, the ECMS will ensure secure records, clear audit trails, efficient workflows, and reliable institutional memory across the Federal Civil Service.

Walson-Jack added that the deployment advances Pillar Five of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025, which prioritises digitalisation across MDAs.

“Digital transformation does not end with the launch of a system. Its success depends on consistent use, adherence to established processes, and sustained digital discipline,” she said, urging officials to embrace paperless operations and route official correspondence through designated digital channels.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Patience Oyekunle, said the launch marked a decisive transition from manual processes to a modern digital platform that would enhance efficiency, transparency, and service delivery.

She described the initiative as part of broader public service reforms championed by the Federal Government and commended the Head of Service for providing the strategic leadership that made the deployment possible.

The ECMS rollout comes as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to modernise governance processes, cut bureaucratic bottlenecks, and improve service delivery across MDAs, with the petroleum ministry now joining a growing list of institutions operating on a paperless platform.

A business, investment, infrastructure and property correspondent currently with The PUNCH, Aina is a media professional with over three years experience

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