The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation presented awards to three federal civil servants during the 2026 Civil Service Week, held from June 22 to 28 in Abuja, with prizes ranging from N250,000 to N500,000. The recipients were recognised for their contributions to education, digital reform, and public sector management.
Award Recipients and Their Achievements
Abumoye Emmanuel, a Senior Education Officer at the Federal Ministry of Education, received the Presidential Civil Service Merit Award, which carries a prize of N500,000. He was recognised for his work in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) education, particularly his efforts to encourage more girls to pursue technology. As a robotics coach at Queen's College, Lagos, he guided the school's team to the FIRST LEGO League Competition in Australia in 2023 and to an African championship at the Rwanda Submerged Robotics Competition in 2025. According to the Guardian, the team also qualified for global competitions in Houston and Canada in 2026.
Anthony Ogwo, an Assistant Chief Education Officer at the Federal Ministry of Education, and Ochoche Peter, an Assistant Director at the Ministry of Regional Development, each received the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation EPIC Award, valued at N250,000. EPIC stands for Efficient, Productive, Incorruptible and Citizen-Centred, as reported by Premium Times.
Digital Reforms and Decades of Service
Ogwo, an alumnus of the Aig-Imoukhuede Public Leaders Programme Cohort 5, was honoured for driving administrative and digital reforms at the Federal Ministry of Education. He contributed to the automation of ministry processes, helped establish a call centre, and proposed a digital Requisition and General Services Management Portal that would allow administrative requests to be tracked in real time.
Ochoche brings more than 18 years of experience in the federal civil service. His work spans performance management, public sector reform and results-based governance. He contributed to the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP) 2020 and was involved in the development and rollout of FCSSIP 2025, which aims to improve accountability across ministries, departments and agencies.
Over N60 Million Awarded Since 2022
The awards fall under the Emily Aig-Imoukhuede Memorial Endowment Fund, set up in 2022 in memory of the late Pastor Emily Aig-Imoukhuede. Since then, the fund has paid out more than N60 million to civil servants across more than 50 ministries, departments and agencies. Chioma Njoku, Director of Programmes at the foundation, said recognising high-performing civil servants could help strengthen public institutions. "Public servants play a vital role in shaping the quality of governance and improving outcomes for citizens," she said.
The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, founded by Aigboje and Ofowve Aig-Imoukhuede, focuses on public sector leadership development and institutional reform. The 2026 Civil Service Week awards highlight the foundation's ongoing commitment to rewarding excellence in the Nigerian public service.
