The Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, has urged state civil service commissions to embrace shared learning to deepen their reforms.
 
Olaopa spoke on Thursday in Umuahia during the gala night to mark the end of the 2025 Annual National Council of Civil Service Commissions in Abia State.
 
According to him, some states have specific innovations that constitute smart and good practices.  He cited the Gombe State Biometric Staff Attendance application, saying it would be studied to “possibly profile an innovation for benchmarking in our sharing and learning platforms.”
 
He added: “Within the framework of the implementation of the national strategy also, we plan to profile the innovations from different states so we can organise benchmarking, learning and sharing events for other states to take advantage of these innovations to deepen reforms in their states.”
 
Olaopa stated that the 44th NCCSCs in Umuahia had a unique flavour, saying it confirmed his opinion of the state Governor, Alex Otti.  He said: “Having been an admirer of His Excellency Governor Alex Otti, based on a close reading of overall governance performance at the subnational level of government in Nigeria, and coming in to Abia, especially seeing the breadth and depth of governance and public service institutional reforms, including those within the purview of the Abia State CSCs, I am awestruck, to say the least.  ⁠
 
“It was therefore easy for me to announce that the Abia State CSCs will be the first pilot state in the implementation of the FCSC strategic plan, which the Council has in turn approved without hesitation, asking also that Abia State successes be reprofiled for benchmarking.

Besides, the Council approved that the FCSC Strategic Plan be adopted as the National Strategic Plan for Repositioning the Civil Service Commissions of the Federation to drive a national movement to reengineer service commissions in the federation. I am glad that I also got the concurrence of the National Council to name the Abia State CSCs as the first pilot state commission for the implementation of the National Strategy. “
 
While recognising that there are lots of other star CSCs with incredible reform strides and successes, he said the council resolved to profile the Abia State CSC along with a few others that would be enlisted as pilot states in the implementation of the national strategy.
 
He noted that after the pilot states had been determined and appointed, the FCSC would proceed to conduct a baseline assessment to determine their level of reforms and achievements so as to establish and document them as takeoff points in this national movement.
 
“On the basis of this, we will put in place a framework of peer review between states as change dynamics rooted in continuous learning and incremental improvement that leaves no service commission behind.

“In this connection, we have taken briefs from some Commissions that need mentorship and technical guidance, being newly constituted Commissions with weak secretariats and standards to ride on.” Olaopa also appreciated Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, for accepting to host the 45th National Council in Asaba