Tag: FCSC

The Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) has developed a formal strategic plan aimed at revamping Nigeria’s civil service by restoring merit, entrenching performance, and aligning public sector recruitment with national economic goals.

The plan, which emerged from a three-day strategy development retreat held in Abuja, represents a sweeping attempt to reposition the Commission as a central driver of reform within the federal bureaucracy.

This came in direct response to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s charge to the Commission at its inauguration in December 2023 to lead the transformation, digitalisation, and reorientation of the civil service to support private-sector growth under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Chairman of the Commission, Professor Tunji Olaopa, described the move as a turning point for the FCSC and a departure from years of stagnation and patronage-driven administration.

According to him, a rapid assessment conducted by the current leadership shortly after assuming office exposed a system crippled by mediocrity, politicised appointments, and a bloated, under-skilled workforce.

“We found that while the numbers might not suggest over-bloating on the surface, the real issue is the mismatch between staffing and skill. Too many workers lack the competencies required to drive Nigeria’s development goals, and the recruitment process has, over time, lost its meritocratic foundation,” he said.

With support from the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office through its Partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement (PACE), the retreat brought together renowned experts, including Dr. Otive Igbuzor, Prof. Bamidele Olowu, Dr. Bert Odiaka, and Dr. Egem Odey. The consultants worked alongside an in-house Strategy Development Team to craft a blueprint that redefines the Commission’s vision, mission, and core values, while situating it as a reform-minded institution.

A central focus of the strategy is the need to re-establish a transparent, competitive, and digitally enabled recruitment process in the federal civil service—one that attracts the best talent and restores public confidence. The retreat also addressed the Commission’s performance management gaps, the erosion of ethical discipline in service, and the absence of a structured reward system for excellence.

Read Also: FCSC debunks report on 10,000 vacancies

The Commission’s new direction also includes deploying a performance-managed secretariat, linking promotions to output and accountability, and creating clearer frameworks for stakeholder engagement and institutional collaboration. Participants carried out in-depth situation analysis using global benchmarks from countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Canada, and Kenya, as well as lessons from leading institutions like the Central Bank of Nigeria and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

In an interview after the retreat, Professor Olaopa confirmed that some of the new principles are already being applied in the ongoing recruitment exercise, which he described as the most transparent in the Commission’s history.

He explained that the process involved online applications, a screening stage to eliminate unqualified applicants, and upcoming computer-based testing aligned with candidates’ areas of expertise. Final selections, he said, will be based on merit while also ensuring compliance with the federal character principle.

“What we are doing now reflects the values we have committed to. This is not just a document; it’s a living strategy. Our goal is to demonstrate that the federal civil service can serve as a lever for national transformation, not a burden,” Olaopa noted.

The Commission now plans to finalise and validate the draft strategy document before full implementation. The five-year plan (2025–2029) will serve as the Commission’s reform compass as it works to support Nigeria’s ambition of becoming a $1 trillion economy by 2030.

The Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) has dismissed reports claiming it has 10,000 job openings, describing the information as false and misleading.

In a statement released on Tuesday and signed by the Commission’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Taiwo Hassan, the FCSC clarified that only 2,130 vacancies were available under its recently concluded online recruitment exercise, which ended on March 17.

“The attention of the Federal Civil Service Commission has been drawn to a publication circulating on conventional and online media, which stated that the Commission’s available vacancies were 10,000. This is not true,” the statement read.

Read Also: AFCSC senior course 47 students tour Imo to study grassroots intelligence for internal security

The Commission advised the public to disregard the misinformation and to rely solely on official channels for accurate updates regarding the recruitment process.

It also announced that the shortlisting process had been completed, and candidates selected for the next stage—the Computer-Based Test (CBT)—would be notified through various media platforms and its official website: www.fedcivilservice.gov.ng.

The Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) has assured prospective applicants that its recruitment process will be hitch-free despite reports of difficulty accessing the application portal.

This assurance follows complaints from applicants struggling to enter the portal after the Commission announced vacancies on its website (www.fedcivilservice.gov.ng) and in The Sun, Daily Trust, and The Nation newspapers on Monday, January 27, 2025.

In a statement in Abuja, the Commission’s Head of Public Relations, Taiwo Hassan, acknowledged the challenges but emphasized that the ICT department is working to resolve them.

“The Commission wants to assure members of the public that our ICT department is doing everything possible to make the process as seamless as possible,” the statement read.

Hassan attributed the difficulties to high traffic on the website, as many applicants attempt to access the portal simultaneously. Despite this, he noted that applications are being successfully submitted and received.

Read Also: FCSC chairman advocates return to merit-based recruitment in civil service 

“We urge all eligible applicants to keep trying, as the recruitment exercise will run for six weeks, closing on March 10, 2025,” he added.

The Commission encouraged patience and persistence from applicants, assuring them that the system would remain open throughout the application period.

The chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Prof. Tunji Olaopa, has called for a reassessment of the Civil Service Commission’s foundational philosophy to better align with Africa’s diverse management policies.

He emphasised the need for a strategic overhaul to prepare the African Public Service Community for the challenges of the fourth and fifth industrial revolutions.

Olaopa made these remarks while receiving a delegation from the Association of African Public Service Commissioners (AAPSCOM), led by Dr. Choolwe Beyani, Chairperson of the Civil Service Commission of Zambia, on an official visit to the Commission.

Highlighting the historical roots of the Civil Service Commission as conceived by the British, Olaopa noted that meritocracy faces significant challenges across Africa.

He stressed that revitalizing public administration in Africa requires strategic re-profiling and a professionalised public service capable of driving the continent’s renaissance.

Olaopa pledged his full support for AAPSCOM’s efforts to build a robust African Public Service Association, recognizing the impact of technological advancements, artificial intelligence, and the evolving preferences of millennial and Gen-Z public managers on traditional public administration practices.

Read Also: How to reform civil service, by FCSC Chair Olaopa

He added that millennials “are interested in job security, they are not interested in lifetime career employment. I am recruited on level 8, I stayed till 35. I retired at 60. That is not their take. This generation has already communicated their preference for those who are following up on HR conversations both in the private sector and the industry.

“The preference they have is for workforce flexibility. They want to negotiate their time. They want flexi-working timing. So that they can pursue other rewarding things so that they are not confined to any particular job.”

This shift, Olaopa argued, necessitates a rethinking of HR strategies within the public service to accommodate these new dynamics.

In his remarks, Dr. Beyani acknowledged Nigeria’s pivotal role as a founding member of AAPSCOM in 2008. He outlined the association’s objectives of fostering best practices, promoting professionalism, and conducting research in public administration across Africa.

Beyani explained that the delegation’s visit aimed to reconnect with members after communication barriers emerged in 2019 and to mobilize support for the upcoming General Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya.

The assembly is expected to reignite AAPSCOM’s vision and strengthen collaboration among African Public Service Commissions.

The day concluded with a dinner and exchange of gifts in honour of the AAPSCOM delegation, attended by the Zambian High Commissioner to Nigeria.