From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
At the conclusion of a two-day Strategic Workshop Retreat, the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Tunji Olaopa, unveiled a comprehensive plan to enhance the efficiency and transparency of Nigeria’s civil service. The retreat focused on implementing robust strategies to address workforce challenges, improve recruitment processes, and ensure dynamic governance across federal agencies.
Olaopa, addressing the press, emphasised the importance of collective responsibility among management tiers in driving the strategy forward. “We already have a steering committee made up of the topmost functionaries in the Commission, which are the commissioners,” he explained. “There is also another layer for the management staff who consider the technical staff. We will deploy the entire governance framework to ensure joint ownership and periodic reporting by all units responsible for implementation.”
He highlighted the establishment of a “front office reinforced with sufficient competencies” to monitor key performance indicators and critical result areas. Olaopa described the strategic plan as “a very dynamic and lively document” that will be continuously evaluated and refined based on data feedback and analysis.
Addressing recruitment, Olaopa revealed that the Commission is already implementing innovative measures to attract top candidates. “For the first time, we are advertising vacancies online and conducting online registrations to make the process very transparent,” he said. Candidates will undergo rigorous assessments, including computer-based tests tailored to their applied roles, general knowledge, and aptitude evaluations.
“We have delineated what we consider the merit criteria, and we can assure you that the very best people will be accommodated,” Olaopa stated. He also reaffirmed the commitment to the federal character policy to ensure equitable representation across Nigeria’s diverse regions.
Responding to concerns about the declining workforce and its impact on productivity, Olaopa noted an ongoing HR audit initiated by President Bola Tinubu. “The essence is to do a gap analysis of staff exits, replacements, and critical skill areas,” he said. The audit will inform recruitment and workforce planning over time.
Olaopa acknowledged the complexity of workforce management, noting that “the service is an ageing service where so many people are already over 45 years old.” He outlined strategies including retraining, redeployment, and rationalisation to manage redundancies. “There might be too many people doing nothing in the system, which is redundancy, and others doing too little,” he explained.
On the issue of discipline and incentives, he stressed that workforce management is a shared responsibility across agencies. “If you benchmark the federal civil service staff numbers against other countries, they are not comparable in aggregate,” he said. While some skills are in surplus, critical skills are lacking.
He suggested options such as voluntary exit incentives and reskilling programmes to optimise the workforce. “It will be a last resort to resort to rationalisation to manage redundancies,” Olaopa remarked. He added that the ongoing HR audit will provide the data needed to make informed decisions on staff deployment, training, and discipline.
Olaopa concluded, “We are setting up a framework that will benefit from the best advice, track critical indicators, and ensure that our civil service is dynamic and capable of meeting the nation’s needs.”