Get Guardian on GoogleNigeria cannot achieve President Bola Tinubu’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy by 2030 without an efficient, accountable, technology-driven and future-ready civil service, the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Prof. Tunji Olaopa, has said.
Olaopa spoke yesterday in Asaba, Delta State, when he led federal commissioners, chairmen and members of Civil Service Commissions from states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on a courtesy visit to Governor Sheriff Oboreveori at the Government House, represented by Deputy Governor Monday Onyeme.
He stressed that a reformed civil service with the capacity to translate government policies into measurable results would be critical to driving economic growth, improving public service delivery and achieving the country’s development aspirations.
The FCSC chairman explained that the commission was strengthening policy intelligence, managerial capacity and bureaucratic efficiency through greater deployment of technology, institutional accountability and improved human resource management.
According to him, the commission had developed a strategic plan to improve the organisational intelligence quotient of the Federal Civil Service, adding that all 36 states signed on to the initiative last year.
He said the new managerial orientation was being actualised within the framework of implementing the FCSC strategic plan (2026-2030), which state civil service commissions adopted for nationwide implementation in 2025.
Consequently, the National Council of the Civil Service Commissions of the Federation 2025 and 2026 focused on seminal conversations for sharing, learning and benchmarking to get all civil service commissions in Nigeria on board.
However, he acknowledged significant challenges facing the Nigerian civil service, particularly in maintaining merit-based recruitment and promotion, competing with the private sector for skilled personnel, managing generational transitions and addressing wage-related issues.
He stressed that addressing these challenges would require sustained institutional reforms, improved working conditions, and the adoption of modern administrative practices to position the civil service as a strategic partner in national development.
Responding, Onyeme commended the commission’s leadership in driving reforms aimed at repositioning the civil service for improved efficiency, accountability and service delivery.
He assured of the state government’s support for the 45th National Council of Civil Service Commissions of the Federation holding in the state.
