The Federal Government, through the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), has inaugurated an 11-member Technical Working Committee (TWC) to drive the implementation of the Federal Executive Council (FEC)-approved digital transformation agenda for the Federal Civil Service.
Director of Press and Public Relations, OHCSF, Mrs Eno Olotu, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, saying the inauguration marked a major shift from policy approval to the structured implementation of a coordinated digital transformation programme across the Federal Civil Service.
According to her, the committee is expected to develop the architecture, roadmap and governance mechanisms required to establish a more connected, efficient, secure and citizen-focused digital operating environment across government.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, while inaugurating the committee, described the initiative as a defining milestone in the ongoing reform of the Federal Civil Service.
She said the digital transformation agenda must go beyond policy pronouncements to deliver measurable improvements in the way government operates and provides services to citizens.
Walson-Jack explained that the committee was constituted following the FEC’s approval of the Federal Civil Service Digital Transformation Progress Report, which assigned critical responsibilities to the OHCSF and requires coordinated action across Ministries, Extra-Ministerial Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
She said the Federal Civil Service must move beyond isolated and fragmented digital initiatives and establish a coherent, government-wide digital ecosystem where systems can communicate, information can flow securely, processes can be simplified and public servants can work more efficiently.
The HCSF charged the committee to develop a comprehensive Digital Transformation Implementation Framework and Roadmap to provide a clear pathway for the expansion, adoption and sustainability of digitalisation across the Service.
She maintained that the framework must cover policy, governance, institutional coordination, interoperability, cybersecurity, financing, digital readiness, capacity development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
She stressed that the digital transformation must be sustainable beyond individual initiatives or administrations, adding that its success would depend not only on technology but also on people, processes and institutional culture.
Walson-Jack said public servants must be adequately equipped and supported to adopt and effectively deploy digital tools in the performance of their responsibilities.
She noted that the initiative aligns with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, as well as the broader vision of building a world-class, professional and digitally enabled Civil Service capable of supporting national development and delivering on the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Responding on behalf of the committee, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Engr Nadungu Gagare, described the assignment as strategic and timely.
Gagare assured the HCSF that members of the committee would bring their collective expertise and experience to bear on the assignment, while working with relevant MDAs and stakeholders to develop a framework that is practical, sustainable, inclusive and responsive to the realities of the Nigerian Civil Service.
The 11-member committee is chaired by Dr Deborah Odoh, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
Other members are Mr Mohammed Sanusi Danjuma, Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Federal Ministry of Finance; Engr Nadungu Gagare, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy; Dr Danjuma Usman Kalba, Permanent Secretary, Common Services Office; Dr Shamseldeen B. Ogunjimi, Accountant-General of the Federation; Dr Adebowale Adedokun, Director-General, Bureau of Public Procurement; and Arc Joy Baderin, Director overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties Office.
Others are Mr Uwem Ekpo, Director, ICT, OHCSF; Engr Dr Gideon Adogbo, Senior Technical Adviser to the HCSF; Mr Uyiosa Ebuehi, Technical Assistant to the HCSF; and Mr Alex Gwaske, Director, ICT Service-Wide, who serves as secretary.
The ICT Service-Wide Department of the OHCSF will serve as the secretariat of the committee.
The committee is expected to submit its first report to the HCSF within one week. The report will form the basis for the constitution of a Steering Committee, to be chaired by the HCSF, which will provide strategic oversight for the implementation of the digital transformation agenda.
The statement added that the inauguration reinforced the commitment of the OHCSF to building a modern, digitally enabled and results-driven Federal Civil Service where technology serves as a strategic tool for improving efficiency, strengthening accountability and delivering better outcomes for civil servants and Nigerians.