The 44th Annual National Council of Civil Service Commissions of the Federation has ended in Umuahia with far-reaching resolutions aimed at strengthening professionalism, digital capacity, and meritocracy across Nigeria’s public service.
In a communiqué endorsed by an Eight-Member drafting Committee and presented by its Chairman, Mr. Balarabe Abubakar, the Council approved the 2026–2030 strategic plan, describing it as a framework that will drive the strategic repositioning and professionalisation of the Civil Service in line with global standards.
The Council urged the Federal Civil Service Commission to define critical success indicators for pilot states with strong political backing, citing Abia State as a model for domestication of the strategic plan.
It also called on State Civil Service Commissions to urgently adopt and deploy a Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) to modernise operations.
Member States were further encouraged to develop or review their own strategic plans within 12 months, drawing guidance from the Federal blueprint and sourcing sustainable funding from Government budgets, development partners, and NGOs.
The communiqué also recommended the establishment of strategy implementation and coordination units in all States to strengthen execution, monitoring, and reporting mechanisms.
In addition, the Council advocated a zero-tolerance policy for falsification of age, credentials, or other official records and charged Civil Service Commissions nationwide to entrench merit as the primary criterion for recruitment and promotion, supported by objective frameworks that guarantee inclusivity and effective diversity management.
The Communiqué noted that the meeting’s theme, “Repositioning Civil Service Commissions in Nigeria as a Hub of Professionalism in Public Service Human Resource Management,” aligns with key national reform efforts, including the Renewed Hope Agenda, the Federal Civil Service Strategy Implementation Plan, and Nigeria’s ambition to build a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2030.
The five-day event was declared open by Governor Alex Otti, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Kenneth Kalu. It was attended by the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Professor Tunji Olaopa; chairmen of state civil service commissions from the 36 states; commissioners; officials of the Federal Civil Service Commission; and other stakeholders, including the Abia State Civil Service Commission Chairman, Pastor Enoh Jerry-Eze.
