President Bola Tinubu has described the Nigerian civil service as the cornerstone of effective governance, commending workers as the engine room that drives the delivery of public goods and national programmes.
Speaking at the opening of the maiden International Civil Service Conference in Abuja—part of the 2025 Civil Service Week—President Tinubu emphasised the critical role civil servants play in shaping the nation’s development trajectory.
“Civil servants, you are not just the backbone of effective administration across borders but the very essence of it,” he said. “Your role as the quiet architects of stability, innovation, and public trust is invaluable.”
He stressed the need to place competent individuals in key positions to strengthen service delivery. To this end, the President announced a comprehensive Personnel Audit and Skills Gap Analysis across the Federal Civil Service to deepen capacity and improve efficiency.
“We can only guarantee the high-performance culture our country deserves by placing the right people in the right roles,” Tinubu said, urging swift implementation of the exercise to enable targeted reforms.
The President said the conference theme—“Rejuvenate, Innovate & Accelerate”—aligns with his Renewed Hope Agenda, which aims to build a secure, inclusive, and prosperous Nigeria. He underscored that a revitalised Civil Service is essential for implementing this national transformation plan.
“In today’s rapidly evolving world, innovation is critical to ensure that the Civil Service remains a dynamic, ethical, and globally competitive institution,” he added.
Highlighting his administration’s commitment to staff welfare, Tinubu cited recent efforts including the approval of a new national minimum wage, consequential salary adjustments, and the Pension Bond Scheme as key morale-boosting policies.
The President also called for better data management across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), directing them to gather, protect, and share information responsibly under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
“Data is the new oil, but unlike oil, its value increases the more it is refined and responsibly shared,” he said. “Let our data speak for us, help benchmark progress, and elevate our global standing.”
President Tinubu commended the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, for her leadership in convening the conference and driving reforms under the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025. He praised milestones such as digitised processes, continuous learning, and the introduction of Service-Wise GPT as examples of progress.
He also acknowledged support from international partners, including the United Nations, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom, for their contributions to public service capacity development.
In her remarks, Head of Service Walson-Jack reiterated that the civil service must lead by example if Nigeria is to lead Africa. She celebrated the conference as a self-funded model of innovation achieved through strategic partnerships and corporate support.
Goodwill messages were delivered by notable global leaders including former UK Cabinet Secretary O’Donnell, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, Virgin Islands Deputy Governor David DaCosta Archer, and British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr. Richard Montgomery.
Editing by Daniel Adejo
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