The federal government on Thursday explained the rationale behind the one-year mandatory training requirement for holders of the Higher National Diploma (HND) before their conversion from Executive to Officer cadre in the federal civil service.
Folashade Yemi-Esan, the Head of Service of the Federation, revealed the reason during an interactive session with civil servants in Abuja. This was her third such session since assuming office. Responding to a question from Adebayo Hassan, a Grade Level 14 officer, about the ongoing dichotomy between B.Sc. and HND holders in public service, Yemi-Esan explained that the curriculum for HND and B.Sc. programs are not the same. Therefore, HND graduates must undergo a mandatory one-year training before conversion.
The issue of equality between HND and Bachelor’s degree holders has been contentious. In 2021, the Senate and House of Representatives passed a bill to prohibit discrimination between these qualifications. The bill, titled “An Act to Abolish and Prohibit Dichotomy and Discrimination between First Degree and Higher National Diploma in the Same Profession/Field for the Purpose of Employment; and for Related Matters,” aimed to establish equality for employment and career progression. However, former President Muhammadu Buhari declined to assent to the bill.
During the session, Kindness Odigili from the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs noted that training on the Performance Management System implementation was not reaching state offices. Yemi-Esan stated that Permanent Secretaries and Directors of Human Resource Management should be accountable for this oversight.
Oyinyechi Eberendu from the OHCSF, Abuja, spoke on behalf of civil servants with disabilities, highlighting the challenges they face, such as spending a substantial part of their salaries on transportation. She suggested that the HoSF hold a similar session with this vulnerable group to address their specific issues.
The interactive session, held virtually, allowed participants outside Abuja to join in the 2024 Civil Service Week. The theme was “Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century: Building Resilient Education Systems for Increased Access to Inclusive, Lifelong, Quality, and Relevant Learning in Africa.”
Yemi-Esan emphasized the importance of accessible, inclusive, and high-quality education that remains relevant to the evolving demands of the modern world. She noted that the first priority of FCSSIP 25 is Capacity Building and Talent Management, aligned with the African Union’s theme for this year.
She highlighted the need for continuous self-development in light of emerging global challenges, technologies, and the new world of work. She mentioned the adoption of the Performance Management System (PMS) by the Nigeria Civil Service, with developed and circulated PMS policies and guidelines to all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
PMS implementation has been cascaded to the Ministries, with Permanent Secretaries as the primary drivers. Performance contracts are to be cascaded down to the last officer in each MDA, assessing each officer’s performance based on their Key Performance Indicators (KPI), linking individual goals with departmental and national KPIs.
Yemi-Esan also noted the digitalization of work processes in the Service, with all personal and policy files fully digitized. Official correspondences, such as memos and circulars, are now processed electronically through the Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solution, marking a significant transformation in the Federal Civil Service.
