President Tinubu Directs Nationwide Skills Gap Audit to Revamp Federal Civil Service

.Directs MDAs to share data with international repositories for performance tracking

By Eshiorameh Sebastian in Abuja

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has described the Nigerian civil service as “the backbone of any effective administration,” while announcing a comprehensive personnel audit and skills gap analysis across the federal workforce.

The decision comes amid growing calls for a more efficient civil service to drive Nigeria’s economic recovery in line with the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The President made the declaration on Thursday in Abuja while inaugurating the maiden International Civil Service Conference, held as part of the 2025 Civil Service Week.

The event was part of new steps in Tinubu’s push to reposition the civil service as a catalyst for national development, with the skills audit expected to lay the groundwork for a more efficient and future ready workforce

In his keynote address, Tinubu emphasised the critical role of civil servants in national development, calling them “the quiet architects of stability, innovation, and public trust.” He stated, “The Civil Service, as the vehicle through which the government delivers public goods, has steered us through economic cycles, constitutional transitions, and social democratic consolidation.”

The President stressed the need for strategic reforms to enhance efficiency, declaring, “We can only guarantee the high-performance culture our country deserves by placing the right people in the right roles. To this end, I have authorised a comprehensive Personnel Audit and Skills Gap Analysis across the Federal Civil Service to deepen capacity.” He urged stakeholders to expedite the exercise to facilitate “targeted reforms and realise the full benefits of a more agile, competent, and responsive Civil Service.”

Aligning the initiative with his administration’s broader vision, Tinubu noted that the conference theme, “Rejuvenate, Innovate & Accelerate,” reflects the government’s commitment to modernising public service delivery. “In today’s rapidly evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the Civil Service is a dynamic, digital, ethical, and globally competitive institution,” he said.

The President linked the reforms to his Renewed Hope Agenda, stating, “A revitalised Civil Service is not a supporting actor but the central platform for delivering national transformation.” He highlighted ongoing efforts to improve workers’ welfare, including the implementation of a new national minimum wage, salary adjustments, and the Pension Bond Scheme, aimed at boosting morale within the service.

Tinubu also underscored the importance of data-driven governance, directing all ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to enhance data collection and management. “Accurate, secure, and sovereign data is the lifeblood of every reform we pursue,” he asserted. “Data is the new oil, but unlike oil, its value increases the more it is refined and responsibly shared.”

The President mandated MDAs to comply with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, ensuring transparency while safeguarding privacy. “We must let our data speak for us,” he said, advocating for the publication of verified datasets to strengthen Nigeria’s global standing.

Commending the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, Tinubu praised her leadership in advancing digital transformation and capacity-building initiatives, including the launch of Service-Wise GPT. He also acknowledged international partners such as the United Nations, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom for their support in public service development.

Earlier, Walson-Jack emphasised the civil service’s pivotal role in Nigeria’s progress, declaring, “If Nigeria must lead Africa, then our Civil Service must lead the way.” She hailed the conference as a self-funded model of innovation, achieved through strategic collaborations.

Goodwill messages were delivered by global leaders, including Rt. Hon. Lord O’Donnell, former UK Cabinet Secretary; Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General; and Dr. Richard Montgomery, British High Commissioner to Nigeria, who reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Nigeria’s governance reforms.