The Federal Government has inaugurated a comprehensive personnel audit and skills gap analysis across the civil service, with plans to capture the Bank Verification Number (BVN) and National Identification Number (NIN) of every worker.
Didi Walson-Jack, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), announced the initiative in Abuja on Wednesday in a statement issued by Mrs. Eno Olotu, Director of Information and Public Relations at the Office of the HCSF.
According to her, the exercise, which was approved under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, seeks to establish a verified digital personnel database to eliminate ghost workers, correct inconsistencies in staff records, and provide an accurate profile of the federal workforce.
“The initiative will also identify skills gaps in critical areas such as ICT, project management, public finance and data analysis,” Walson-Jack said.
She explained that the audit is developmental rather than punitive, stressing that it is designed to reposition the civil service to meet present and future challenges while boosting efficiency.
The HCSF added that the new Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) would strengthen workforce planning, improve training programmes, and help block financial leakages and redundancies in the service.
To drive the process, two committees have been inaugurated: the Steering Committee chaired by Walson-Jack herself and made up of key permanent secretaries, the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Director-General of the Budget Office, the Presidency, and consultants; and the Implementation Committee, headed by Dr. Danjuma Kalba, Permanent Secretary, Common Services, Office of the HCSF.
The Steering Committee will handle methodology validation, compliance checks and reporting, while the Implementation Committee is tasked with data collection and operational delivery. The Steering Committee is expected to complete its work within six months, while the Implementation Committee will deliver its report within four months.
Earlier, Dr. Deborah Odoh, Permanent Secretary, Service Policies and Strategies, described the initiative as “a step towards building an efficient, productive, and accountable civil service.”
Kalba also commended President Tinubu for approving the audit, which he described as a bold reform aligned with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The exercise is expected to strengthen transparency, enhance service delivery, and permanently eliminate the menace of ghost workers from Nigeria’s civil service.
