Following the perceived personnel and skills gap in the federal civil service, President Bola Tinubu has ordered a nationwide audit to enable the government to obtain information on the existing vacancies and possible shortage of particular skills.

Mr. President, who spoke yesterday at the ongoing International Civil Service Conference in Abuja, added that the skills gap analysis will strengthen the civil service capacity.

“We can only guarantee the high-performance culture our country deserves by placing the right people in the right roles. To this end, I have authorised a comprehensive personnel audit and skills gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity,” he said.

Tinubu also urged all responsible stakeholders to prioritise the timely completion of such a critical exercise to enable the implementation of targeted reforms towards realising the full benefits of a more agile, competent, and responsive civil service.

He added that accurate, secure, and sovereign data remains the lifeblood of every reform pursued by the government.

“Data is the new oil, but unlike oil, its value increases the more it is refined and responsibly shared.

“I therefore direct all Ministries, Extra-Ministerial Departments, and Agencies to capture information rigorously, safeguard it under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, and release it swiftly for public value, ensuring the highest data protection and privacy standards,” he said.

This, he noted, will allow global benchmarking organisations to track Nigeria’s progress in real-time and assist in strengthening the country’s position on the world stage.

To him, the conference must transcend ceremonial gathering or talk shop to serve as a catalyst for real change.

“I charge all public service leaders and stakeholders to return to their institutions with renewed determination: to infuse our systems with energy and purpose, embrace innovation as a duty, and accelerate the implementation of policies and services that improve the lives of all Nigerians. The time to act is now.

“Today, as we unite under the shared ideals of service excellence, we commit to forging partnerships that transcend national boundaries, harness technology for the greater good, and elevate the civil service as a beacon of hope and progress for all nations.”

The President also commended the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, for her outstanding leadership quality and resilience towards reforms.

In her remarks, Walson-Jack stated that the whole conference was an outcome of collaboration and partnership.

“If you listened to my speech, I talked of collaboration, not only with international development partners but equally with local development partners and professional bodies.”

Speaking on the skills gap analysis, she informed that Mr. President’s directives will begin as soon as possible.

“The whole idea is that with that report from the exercise, we will know exactly how many more personnel we need, and what skills they need to come up with to enable us to carry out our duties in this 21st century,” she said.