The National Council on Establishments, comprising Heads of Service from the Federal Government, 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, has ruled that membership of professional bodies and certification should not automatically be a condition for appointment, promotion or career progression in the Nigerian public service.

The decision was contained in the minutes of the 48th meeting of the council, obtained by our correspondent, which was held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, from July 20 to 24, 2026.

The council said professional membership and certification should principally serve the purposes of “professional proficiency, ethical standards and continuing professional development” and should not automatically determine an officer’s appointment, promotion or career advancement.

The meeting was chaired by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, and attended by Heads of Service from 30 states and the FCT, while six states were represented by permanent secretaries.

Permanent secretaries responsible for establishments, senior government officials and representatives of ministries, departments and agencies also attended.

The council specifically resolved that “professional membership or certification should be recognised principally for professional proficiency, ethical standards and continuing professional development.”

It further stated that such membership “should not automatically constitute a condition for appointment, promotion or career progression, except where expressly provided in the approved Schemes of Service.”

The resolution is significant given the wide range of professional bodies whose members work within Nigeria’s public sector, including accountants, personnel managers, engineers, lawyers, procurement specialists, surveyors, architects, medical professionals, teachers, nurses, pharmacists and other specialists.

For instance, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria regulates the accountancy profession and sets standards of knowledge and skills for members.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria is also central to the professionalisation of human resource practice, with the Federal Government recently introducing certification requirements for officers occupying designated human resource roles in Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

Similarly, professional institutes such as the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria provide training, certification and continuing professional development for officers working in procurement and supply-chain functions.

The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation’s current framework also recognises different professional cadres within the public service, including doctors, engineers, teachers, education officers and nurses, with specific confirmation and promotion examinations conducted for professional cadres.

Against this background, the NCE’s latest position distinguishes professional development and mandatory career requirements, making clear that membership of a professional association should not be imposed as a blanket requirement on public servants.

The council’s position does not, however, remove professional requirements where a particular cadre or approved scheme of service expressly requires them. Rather, it means that such requirements must have a formal basis in the applicable service rules or scheme of Service.

The decision also comes as the Federal Government continues its public service reform programme, with emphasis on professionalism, competency development, skills utilisation and improved service delivery.

Under the Public Service Rules, promotion is tied to factors including qualifications, experience, training, performance and the skills and competence required under the scheme of service for the particular cadre.

The rules also provide for structured and sustained training and continuous professional development for career progression.

The council observed that professional membership and certification should principally help public servants maintain professional standards, ethical conduct and continuous learning.

It also stressed that requests for new cadres and enhanced entry points should be subjected to proper assessment rather than being approved without considering their implications for the wider service.

The council noted that “enhanced entry points have significant service-wide, financial and grade-relativity implications.”

It subsequently approved a Harmonised Entry Point Framework developed by its standing committee for determining entry points into cadres across the public service.

Ten memoranda relating to enhanced entry points were referred to the standing committee for evaluation under the new framework, while five other memoranda were referred for further study.

The council also stepped down five requests for the creation of new cadres pending completion and consideration of the personnel audit and skills gap analysis being undertaken by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

It said the exercise would assess the existing workforce, identify available skills and determine critical personnel and competency gaps, adding that “its outcome would be germane to the objective assessment of requests for the creation of new cadres.”

The council approved the creation of the Paramedics Assistant Cadre, Salary Grade Levels 04 to 07, and the Paramedics Technician Cadre, Salary Grade Levels 06 to 14, in the schemes of service.

It also called for sustained collaboration among federal, state and FCT public services to promote “harmonised standards, professionalism and effective human resource management.”

The 48th meeting was the valedictory meeting of Walson-Jack as chairman of the council.

Members commended her leadership and contributions to the Nigerian public service. (PUNCH)

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