President Bola Tinubu on Thursday ordered the commencement of a personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.

The President gave the directive in Abuja at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.

“I have authorised the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritise timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realise the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the President announced.

Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in the national interest.

He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.

“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognised as fruitful.

“This will allow the global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.

The President hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.

He submitted that the roles of civil servants remained indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.

“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative civil service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.

“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital.”

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, in her welcome address, told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference had renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.

Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of the transformation in the Nigerian civil service.

She recalled that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States under her leadership were already yielding multiplier effects.

Walson-Jack assured the President that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, would not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.

She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.

Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service was determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.