In a significant push to accelerate public sector transformation, the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Professor Tunji Olaopa, has called on state civil service commissions across Nigeria to actively embrace shared learning and collaboration. He made this appeal during the gala night marking the conclusion of the 2025 Annual National Council of Civil Service Commissions (NCCSC) held in Umuahia, Abia State.
Abia State Emerges as Benchmark for Reform
Olaopa revealed that the council unanimously approved Abia State Civil Service Commission as the first pilot state for implementing the FCSC's strategic plan. This decision, he noted, was influenced by the impressive governance and institutional reforms witnessed under Governor Alex Otti's administration.
"Having been an admirer of His Excellency Governor Alex Otti... and coming into Abia, especially seeing the breadth and depth of governance and public service institutional reforms... I am awestruck, to say the least," Olaopa stated. He expressed his confidence that Abia's successes would be profiled for benchmarking by other states.
Framework for Nationwide Peer Review and Learning
The professor outlined a concrete plan to harness innovations from various states. He announced intentions to profile specific smart practices, like the Gombe State Biometric Staff Attendance application, for study and potential adoption on national sharing platforms.
"We plan to profile the innovations from different states so we can organise benchmarking, learning and sharing events for other states to take advantage of these innovations to deepen reforms in their states," he explained.
The broader strategy involves:
- Conducting baseline assessments of pilot states to document their reform starting points.
- Establishing a structured peer-review framework to foster continuous learning and incremental improvement.
- Providing mentorship and technical guidance to newly constituted commissions with weaker institutional capacity.
National Strategy Gets Council Backing
In a major endorsement, the National Council approved the FCSC Strategic Plan to be adopted as the National Strategic Plan for Repositioning the Civil Service Commissions of the Federation. This aims to drive a coordinated national movement to reengineer service commissions.
Olaopa acknowledged that while Abia was chosen as the first pilot, several other state commissions with remarkable reform strides would also be profiled and enlisted in the national implementation strategy.
The event, the 44th NCCSC, was described by Olaopa as having a "unique flavour." He also extended appreciation to Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, for accepting to host the 45th National Council in Asaba in the coming year.
