Olaopa Advocates Professionalisation of HR Function in Federal Civil Service
The Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Prof. Tunji Olaopa, has underscored the need for professional human resource (HR) officers in the federal civil service to enhance efficiency and drive reforms.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday at the launch of a scheme to professionalise the HR function in the Federal Civil Service, Olaopa praised the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, for initiating the programme. He described it as “the much-desired shift from personnel administration to strategic and professionalised human resource management.”
Olaopa noted that the initiative had been on the federal government’s administrative reform agenda since 2003 but had suffered long delays.
However, he maintained that its belated implementation was still critical, saying:
“Professionalising the HR function is not only a catalyst for re-professionalising the entire federal service but also a condition precedent for transforming Nigeria’s public administration.”
He stressed that the scheme recognises HR management as a specialised vocation with a body of knowledge, skills and procedures that have yet to be fully embraced in the civil service, adding “Going forward, for any federal officer to function in the HR department of any of our MDAs, he or she must have received formal education and training—including a period of internship—before earning certification as an HR professional”.
According to Olaopa, the federal service now acknowledges that only HR professionals with scientific knowledge, an understanding of legal and regulatory codes, and adherence to ethical standards can properly manage the workforce. He disclosed that the service had partnered with the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) to profile, prepare and certify HR managers in MDAs.
He added that the FCSC was working to transform itself into a hub for HR professionalism and advisory services for the federal government, with CIPM providing technical support to train pioneer HR professionals.
“We will also collaborate with CIPM to develop competency frameworks, catalogues, standard operating procedures, and other tools to institutionalise HR as a professional domain in the federal service,” he stated.
Olaopa commended Walson-Jack, her team of permanent secretaries and the pioneer HR professionals who would midwife the transition.
In her remarks, Walson-Jack explained that the reform represents a shift from traditional personnel management to modern human resource management. She emphasised that the initiative is not merely about certification but about redesigning HR practice in the public service.
She assured civil servants that the reform is not an imposition or a threat to their careers but a drive for professionalism that would make them more valuable both during and after their service.
