……says networking with other HRM institutions is critical for NCCSC.
Professor Olaopa has called on the National Council of Civil Service Commission (NCCSC) to work with other HRM institutions such as the Police Service Commission, the National Assembly Service Commission, and the Local Government Service Commissions among others for networking orbit, enlarging its breadth and lesson-sharing capacity. He added that State CSCs should equally synergize and enlarge their learning architecture through Continental Forum, like the African Association of Public Service Commissions (APSCOMMs).
Olaopa made this known yesterday in the address he delivered at the opening session of the 44th Conference of the National Council of the Civil Service Commissions (NCCSC), held in Umuahia, Abia State. This came after the Chairman and his distinguished Commissioners paid a courtesy call on the Governor of the State, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti, on Monday. This set the tone for the week long activities and the opening of the 44th National Council meeting on Wednesday, 3rd December, 2025.
While highlighting the key priority issues that ground the FCSC Strategic Plan, the Chairman said that the annual event theme “Repositioning Service Commissions in Nigeria as a Hub of Professionalism in Public Service Human Resource Management”, was out to proffer solutions to issues affecting civil and public service within the global best practices.
The event which was declared open by the Governor, represented by the Secretary to the Abia Government, Prof. Kenneth Kalu; had the Chairman informing the gathering that NCSSC was revitalized because many things have gone wrong with the current state of the civil and public service; saying that the current dysfunction demands that the mandate of the CSC need to be recovered.
According to Olaopa, there is urgent need to recover the legal and operational independence of the CSC through a proper and more detailed conceptualization of the issues of public-spiritedness, professionalism, merit, competency-based human resource management system, as well as their operational implications for serving as the theoretical launchpad for enabling equity, fairness, inclusivity and diversity management, like federal character principle, as mandated by the Nigerian Constitution.
He urged the Council to interrogate the place of public service ethical frameworks and the establishment of internal audit systems as significant steps towards restoring the credibility of the CSC as a promoter of meritocracy, while considering Disability Act to take care of those who are physically challenged.
He further said that re-professionalization of the civil service will deepen performance management system; which underscores the need for a paradigmatic shift away from the annual performance appraisal reports (APER) instrument to a more performance-based systems that connects promotions and career progression to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), performance contracts, peer reviews, and training-based assessment reports.
According to him, the system urgently needs to go digital, leveraging the best that digital and media technologies can offer to make it AI-compliant and transparent, which would automatically impact the secretariats and their various procedures and processes, including facilitating more competitive examinations, structured interviews and transparent digital recruitment platforms.
Olaopa said recruitment needs rejuvenation, as many young Gen Z and Gen Alpha generation and talented people prefer to work in the private sector, which burdens the civil and public services with an ageing workforce that undermines efficiency and productivity. He said recruitment embargoes and the resort to waivers as a basis for recruitment were symptoms of deep structural and systemic problems relating to the breakdown of manpower and succession planning; saying serious consideration should be given to competitive compensation and pay package to deepen competency-based human resource management.
In her speech, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Wilson Jack, who spoke through the FCSC Hon. Commissioner representing Kano and Jigawa State, Amb. Aminu Nabegu, harps on merit-driven civil service that is efficient and effective. She called for collaboration and synergy at both the Federal and State CSC levels to foster consistency and coherence in service delivery.
The Chairman, Abia State Civil Service Commission, Dr. (Pastor) Eno Jerry Eze enjoined participants to come forward with creative ideas that would move the service forward. She said professionalism is the cornerstone of human resources management, adding that for the civil service to be relevant in the current dispensation and in the future, a data-driven, IT-compliant, and ethical-influenced CSC is a necessity.
Meanwhile, the FCSC Permanent Secretary, Indiomu Ebiogeh Philip, who coordinated the CSCs Memorandum presentation and compilation from beginning of the Conference, stated in his opening remarks on Monday that as Public Service today operates in a rapidly evolving socio-economic and technological environment. He said Civil Service Commissions must transform into strategic human resource institutions, not merely recruitment agencies, but champions of professional standards, workforce planning, career development, and ethical governance.
In her welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Abia State Civil Service Commission, Mrs Ekaette Oham, on Monday said the theme of the Conference was a wake-up call to CSCs to institutionalize the enthronement of professionalism in the public service. She urged participants to use the Conference to dialogue and to proffer new trajectory to strengthen civil service institutions.
The weeklong event saw various speakers present their papers. The guest speaker, Prof. Tijjani Bande of Usamanu Dan Fidio University, Sokoto State and who was also the immediate past Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the UN, on Wednesday; spoke on the theme of the Conference, “Repositioning Service Commissions in Nigeria as a Hub of Professionalism in Public Service Human Resource Management”. Both Dr Otive Igbuzo and Bert Odiaka on Monday dissected the topics “Overview of FCSC Strategic Repositioning Plan and Program” and “Transforming Civil Service Commissions into Hubs of HRM Professionalism”. Mr. Chris Osarunwese on Tuesday x-rayed the topic, “Moving from Strategy to Impact: A Change Management Framework”
The Wednesday event, which also witnessed Chairman, Delta State Civil Service Commission, Lady Roseline Amioku made her presentation, equally was an avenue gifts presentation to the States Civil Service Commissions’ delegation, will continue today (Thursday) with more Memo presentations, Q&A session, the compilation, correction, and adoption of memos presented by the States Civil Service Commissions (SCSCs).
The event round-off today with a communique generated from various deliberations and memos presented which will set the tone for the next 45th National Council on Civil Service Commissions in 2026.
Signed
Taiwo Hassan,
Head (Press & Public Relations).
4th December, 2025.
