The Federal Government has begun a three-day retreat in Abuja to harmonise the methodology for the Personnel Audit and Skills Gap Analysis (PASGA) of the Federal Civil Service. The retreat, which opened on Thursday, was declared by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive for a comprehensive audit to improve efficiency and reform the service.
The exercise is designed to produce a credible database of federal civil servants, capturing not only their numbers but also their skills, competencies, and distribution across ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). Officials said the findings would guide recruitment, promotions, training, postings, and succession planning, with the aim of building a more professional and future-ready workforce.
Walson-Jack described the project as a key reform under the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP) 2021–2025.
“This project will give us what we have long needed: a credible and verifiable personnel database that captures not just numbers, but also skills, competencies and workforce distribution across MDAs,” she said.
She added that the audit would support evidence-based planning and targeted capacity building. “With it, we can direct training where it is most needed and plan for the next generation of civil servants,” she explained, urging participants to work towards a unified methodology that would strengthen reforms.
Mr Folusho Philips, Chairman of Philips Consulting, the lead firm for the project, noted that the civil service is a “huge organisation” that requires proper verification. He explained that PASGA would help identify the types of jobs to be filled, the people required, and the gaps to be addressed to ensure workers remain “fit for purpose” in today’s environment.
Also speaking, Dr. Danjuma Kalba, Permanent Secretary, Common Services Office in the HCSF, stressed the importance of standardisation, given that 15 cluster consultants are involved in the audit. “Each HR firm might adopt a different methodology if left unchecked. This retreat is essential to ensure a standardised and credible outcome,” he said.
The retreat, themed “Building a Future-Ready Workforce: Reshaping Skills Today for Tomorrow’s Nigeria”, is being attended by members of the steering committee, the implementation team, Philips Consulting, and representatives of the 15 consulting firms engaged in the exercise.
