The Federal Government has commenced steps to translate its digital transformation agenda for the Federal Civil Service into concrete implementation with the inauguration of an 11-member Technical Working Committee by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
The committee is expected to develop the structures, implementation roadmap and governance arrangements required to establish a more integrated, secure, efficient and citizen-oriented digital environment across the Federal Civil Service.
The Director of Press and Public Relations, OHCSF, Mrs Eno Olotu, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, describing the inauguration as an important transition from the approval of the government’s digital transformation policy to the coordinated implementation of the programme across the Service.
She said the committee’s assignment would include developing the architecture and institutional mechanisms needed to connect government systems, improve the flow of information and strengthen the delivery of public services through technology.
Inaugurating the committee, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, described its establishment as a significant milestone in the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to reform and modernize the Civil Service.
Walson-Jack said the digital transformation programme must produce tangible improvements in government operations rather than remain at the level of policy declarations.
She explained that the committee was constituted following the approval by the Federal Executive Council of the Federal Civil Service Digital Transformation Progress Report.
According to her, the approval assigned specific responsibilities to the OHCSF and requires coordinated implementation across Ministries, Extra-Ministerial Departments and Agencies.
The HCSF said the Federal Civil Service could no longer afford to operate through disconnected digital initiatives developed independently by different institutions.
She said the objective was to create a government-wide digital ecosystem in which systems could communicate with one another, information could be exchanged securely, administrative processes could be simplified and public servants could carry out their duties more effectively.
Walson-Jack tasked the newly inaugurated committee with producing a comprehensive Digital Transformation Implementation Framework and Roadmap that would guide the expansion, adoption and long-term sustainability of digitalization across the Federal Civil Service.
She said the framework should address a broad range of issues, including policy and governance, coordination among institutions, interoperability of government systems, cybersecurity, funding, digital readiness, capacity building, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
According to her, the transformation programme must be designed to survive beyond individual projects and administrations, stressing that technology alone would not determine its success.
She said the Federal Government would also need to pay attention to its people, processes and institutional culture if digital transformation was to deliver lasting improvements.
The HCSF further emphasized the need to equip public servants with the necessary knowledge, skills and support to adopt and effectively use digital tools in carrying out their responsibilities.
She said the initiative was consistent with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan and aligned with the broader objective of developing a professional, modern and digitally enabled Civil Service capable of contributing effectively to national development.
Walson-Jack added that the programme would also support the implementation of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu by strengthening the capacity of government institutions to provide efficient and effective services.
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, given the growing importance of digital systems to public sector administration.
Gagare assured the HCSF that members of the committee would deploy their combined expertise and experience towards delivering on the assignment.
He said the committee would engage relevant MDAs and other stakeholders in developing an implementation framework that would be practical, sustainable and inclusive while reflecting the operational realities of the Nigerian Civil Service.
The committee is chaired by Dr Deborah Odoh, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
Other members include 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.
Also on the committee 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 provide the secretariat for the committee and support its activities.
The committee is expected to submit its initial report to the HCSF within one week of its inauguration.
The report will subsequently provide the basis for establishing a Steering Committee, which will be chaired by the HCSF and saddled with the responsibility of providing strategic oversight for the implementation of the digital transformation programme.
The OHCSF said the inauguration underscored its commitment to creating a modern, digitally driven and results-oriented Federal Civil Service.
It added that the broader objective was to make technology a strategic instrument for improving administrative efficiency, strengthening accountability, enhancing the effectiveness of public servants and ultimately delivering better outcomes for Nigerians.