By OKON OKON

President Bola Tinubu has directed all Ministries and Extra-Ministerial Departments (MDAs) to fully digitise their workflows and transition to paperless governance.

Tinubu gave the directive at the opening ceremony of the International Civil Service Conference 2026 in Abuja.

Tinubu, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, said the era of manual inefficiency must give way to a culture of speed, transparency, data-driven decision-making and citizen-centred service.

He said the theme of the conference, “Reforms, Resilience and Results,” reflected the Federal Government’s transition from policy aspirations to measurable impact.

“The theme of this year’s Conference, “Reforms, Resilience and Results,” is not just a slogan; it is a statement of intent and a measure of our progress.

“It reflects our transition from aspiration to execution, and from execution to measurable impact,” he said.

According to him, the Nigerian public service has, in the past 11 months, moved beyond plans and policy declarations to practical reforms capable of withstanding global economic pressures and rising citizen expectations.

Tinubu said the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration recognised the critical role of a capable, disciplined and high-performing civil service in implementing government policies.

“You are the engine room of national transformation. Today, that engine is becoming faster, smarter, more accountable and more responsive to the needs of our people, ” he said.

The president said that 38 ministries and extra-ministerial departments were already operating on secure, paperless and end-to-end electronic workflow systems.

According to him, the development demonstrates Nigeria’s commitment to building a public service that promotes efficiency, investment, innovation and inclusive growth.

Tinubu also disclosed that the Personnel Audit and Skills Gap Analysis authorised during the 2025 conference was nearing completion.

He said the exercise was aimed at identifying capacity gaps, strengthening competencies and ensuring that the right personnel were deployed to appropriate roles with the required digital skills.

The president further highlighted Nigeria’s digital infrastructure drive under Project BRIDGE – Building Resilient Digital Infrastructure for Growth.

He said the initiative, which he presented at the recent Africa CEO Forum in Rwanda, was designed to support jobs, business growth, innovation, public service efficiency and digital connectivity.

Tinubu commended the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, for her leadership in implementing the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025.

He noted that the integration of innovative tools, including Service-Wise GPT, reflected the possibilities of visionary leadership backed by disciplined execution and institutional commitment.

Tinubu also lauded ministries, extra-ministerial departments and agencies for sustaining collaboration towards governance reform and improved service delivery.

According to him, Nigeria’s public service transformation journey is positioning the country as an emerging benchmark for public service reform in Africa and beyond.

Tinubu appreciated international partners for their continued technical support and reform experience, saying Nigeria remained committed to contributing to regional and global standards in public service excellence.

He urged participants at the conference to focus on making reforms irreversible, strengthening accountability and ensuring technology improves service delivery beyond internal administrative processes.

“We must institutionalise resilience so that the progress of today becomes the standard of tomorrow. The world is watching Nigeria.

“More importantly, Nigerians are expecting results. Our responsibility is to justify their confidence by building a Civil Service that is efficient, ethical, professional, innovative and firmly committed to national development,” he said.

Tinubu declared the International Civil Service Conference 2026 open and expressed optimism that the conference would produce practical reform actions and measurable outcomes.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference was attended by dignitaries across African countries and others from outside the Africa continent. (NAN)

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