FG charges civil servants on digital skills for quality service delivery

The Federal Government has mandated all civil servants to enhance their digital skills to improve service delivery to the citizenry.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, gave the directive on Wednesday in Abuja at a one-day training workshop for stakeholders on the reward and recognition system in the federal public service.

Represented by Mrs. Fatima Mahmood, Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, Walson-Jack emphasised the need for workers to acquire the requisite digital skills to function effectively in their workplaces.

While highlighting that the reward and recognition system was introduced to promote excellence, motivation, and global best practices, she urged members of the Ministerial Award Selection Committee to maintain credibility and transparency. She noted that as desk officers and supervisors of the process, their role is critical to ensuring the integrity of the system.

She further stressed that institutionalising rewards aligns with civil service reforms, boosting morale, ethics, and productivity.

Walson-Jack explained that the reward and recognition system was developed to provide a structured framework for identifying, recognising, and celebrating productivity, exemplary conduct, and creativity among civil servants.

The initiative, she said, aims to foster innovation, strengthen public trust, and ensure deserving officers receive recognition, thereby enhancing overall efficiency in government institutions.

“This training is an important step in promoting excellence, commitment, and motivation across the service. This training programme is designed to equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills for the successful implementation of the system across all the MDAs, ensuring alignment with global best practices,” she said.

“The institutionalisation of R&RS aligns with the six pillars of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025, which prioritises staff welfare.”

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Contributing to the discussion, Mrs. Modupe Bankole, Consultant to the HCSF on R&RS, stated that the initiative was part of the government’s efforts to ensure that merit-based awards are backed by verifiable evidence.

“The training, aimed at equipping officials with the skills to assess nominations, comes as part of ongoing efforts to eliminate bias and maintain the credibility of the system.

“We don’t want a situation where anyone questions the credibility of an awardee.”

Citing an example from a previous awards ceremony, the consultant recalled a case where a public servant was honoured for exposing ghost workers who had abandoned their jobs while still drawing salaries abroad.

“This is someone fighting corruption and saving costs for the system. That falls under one of the service-wide award criteria,” the consultant noted.

“The FG’s Rewards and Recognition System aims to incentivise integrity and diligence within the civil service while fostering a culture of accountability and excellence.”

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