Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, has charged newly promoted directors to embrace accountability, ethical leadership and result-driven service in the discharge of their duties.
Walson-Jack gave the call at the induction training programme for the newly promoted directors on Monday in Abuja.
She said that the programme was a strategic intervention under the Onboarding Component of the ONCE (Onboarding, Navigation, Competency and Enterprise) knowledge system designed to strengthen capacity in the public service.
According to her, following the successful induction of 384 directors in 2024, the Federal Civil Service is extending structured onboarding to 338 newly promoted directors to reinforce institutionalised leadership development.
”Your promotion is not a reward but a call to greater responsibility, accountability and strategic leadership. Your performance will shape the effectiveness of government and its impact on Nigerians,” she said.
The head of the civil service of the federation noted that directors played critical roles in policy implementation and service delivery, describing them as custodians of ethical leadership and drivers of government programmes.
She emphasised that directors must ensure accuracy and quality in submissions to permanent secretaries, while also managing resources, personnel and finances transparently.
”Ministries budgets are executed at the departmental level, and your ability to manage these resources effectively will determine results and define your legacy,” she said.
Walson-Jack urged the directors to uphold the core values of the federal civil service, accountability, meritocracy, professionalism, loyalty and efficiency.
She also stressed the need for innovation, teamwork and measurable results, noting that the service was increasingly being assessed based on impact rather than activities.
She further disclosed plans to introduce policy instruments such as the rotational overseeing of the office of the permanent secretary and the understudy policy to strengthen leadership continuity and succession planning.
She urged participants to actively engage in the training, build professional networks and apply the knowledge gained to improve service delivery across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
In her remarks, one of the newly promoted directors, Mrs Grace Ogbimi, described the promotion as a call to greater responsibility and a critical stage in their careers.
Ogbimi noted that directors were expected to drive reforms and policies of the federal government, including digitalisation initiatives.
”A lot depends on us now. Whether Nigeria continues to progress depends largely on how effectively we discharge our responsibilities,” she said.
She added that the head of the civil service had directed them to liaise with their ministers to understand ministerial deliverables and key performance indicators with a view to achieving set targets.
Also speaking, Mr Yusuf Abubakar described the induction programme as timely and necessary.
Abubakar said the training would enable the newly promoted directors to better understand their mandates, including digitalisation and stakeholder engagement, as well as support permanent secretaries in achieving ministerial goals.
He noted that structured induction for civil servants had declined in recent years, adding that the reintroduction of the programme would help address gaps in the system.
The induction programme is aimed at equipping the directors with the requisite knowledge and skills to effectively deliver on their new roles.
