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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) is considering making information technology certification a prerequisite for civil servants seeking to sit promotion examinations from 2027.
Chairman of the commission, Tunji Olaopa, disclosed this on Monday after inspecting centres for the 2026 Directorate Level Promotion Examination in Abuja, where he said the successful deployment of computer-based testing had reinforced the need for officers to acquire basic digital skills.
“The policy that the government is working towards, and which we in the commission are planning to introduce, maybe from 2027 possibly, is some bit of IT licence as a pre-qualification,” Olaopa said.
He stressed that the proposed requirement would not be punitive but was intended to encourage officers to acquire digital competencies increasingly required in the civil service.
Olaopa said the commission recorded about 98 per cent participation in the 2026 promotion examination, with 5,792 of the 5,900 scheduled candidates taking the test.
The exercise, which began on September 21 and is scheduled to end on September 23, was conducted at seven locations covering the six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory.
“From what we have seen and observed today, it is clear that computer-based tests have come to stay,” Olaopa said.
He said the CBT system was easier to administer than the traditional examination process, despite the logistical challenges involved in decentralising the exercise beyond Abuja.
“Last year was a bit tedious for us. This year, in spite of the fact that we promised that we were going to decentralise, we moved into different locations,” he said.
The examination was conducted in Abuja for FCT candidates, while Abeokuta, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Kaduna, Gombe and Lafia served candidates in the South-West, South-East, South-South, North-West, North-East and North-Central respectively.
The FCT recorded 2,169 candidates; South-West, 1,470; South-East, 497; North-West, 461; and North-East, 217. The commission said about 97 per cent of candidates arrived at their centres on time.
Olaopa, who inspected eight centres in Abuja, said the exercise was generally successful, although the commission encountered intermittent internet connectivity.
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He said an alternative authentication system was deployed to prevent prolonged delays, allowing affected candidates to use identity codes to access the examination platform.
“When there was delay, instead of allowing too long prolonged delay, we just asked them to log in their code, and as soon as they log in, of course they automatically registered,” he said.
The commission also made last-minute arrangements for candidates with visual or physical challenges who had not indicated their needs during registration.
Olaopa acknowledged that limited computer literacy posed difficulties for some candidates, particularly older civil servants, but said the CBT platform had been designed to require only basic digital skills.
“The design does not take you through the normal routes of booting. Navigating is a little mechanical,” he said.
On concerns over political interference and favouritism in promotions, Olaopa said the commission was determined to protect the integrity of the process and ensure that merit prevailed.
Describing the FCSC as the “gatekeeper” of the civil service and public administration, he said measures were being taken to eliminate sharp practices in examinations and promotions.
Security agencies and observers monitored the exercise, while intelligence received before and during the examination was used to address potential problems.
Olaopa said the commission would undertake a review of the exercise, focusing on network reliability, quality of questions and other technical issues, including ways of reducing the CBT system’s dependence on internet connectivity.
He said lessons from this year’s exercise could also lead to further decentralisation of promotion examinations.
“If there is an imperative need to decentralise more, we can take them to states,” he said.
The 2026 Directorate Level Promotion Examination is for eligible officers across the Federal Civil Service and runs from September 21 to 23.
