The Head of Nigeria’s civil service praised the National Identity Management Commission’s NIMC leadership on Monday, underscoring closer ties between the agencies as the government pushes broad public‑sector reforms.
Mrs. Didi Esther Walson‑Jack, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, met with NIMC management in Abuja and singled out Director‑General Abisoye Coker‑Odusote for steering reforms that, she said, have repositioned the agency as a “leading public institution” in digital identity and human‑capital development.
Walson‑Jack applauded the commission’s enforcement of the new NIMC Act and the approval of a long‑sought Scheme of Service — moves she described as “major milestones” that will strengthen the agency’s operations. “There is nothing like working with an obsolete law. It pulls you back,” she said, adding that the newly approved scheme would “add value to the civil service, the public service and especially to NIMC.”
She said NIMC’s five‑point transformation agenda centered on human‑capital development, digital transformation, staff training and institutional excellence aligns with the Federal Government’s wider public‑service reforms. Walson‑Jack also commended the commission for engaging retired permanent secretaries in its reform process, urging other agencies to follow suit.
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Framing identity systems as central to governance, the Head of Service called for tighter collaboration between her office and NIMC to build a seamless digital identity ecosystem across government. She nominated senior officials from both institutions to flesh out areas of cooperation that could culminate in a formal memorandum of understanding.
Coker‑Odusote, who said she had pressed for the Scheme of Service since 2007, described the approval as validation of NIMC’s reform trajectory and consistent with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. Since taking office, she said, the commission has organized its work around five strategic pillars: human‑capital development, institutional excellence, technology‑driven operations, global competitiveness and improved service delivery.
The director‑general said the agency inherited manual appraisal systems, weak performance monitoring and a poor link between staff performance and institutional goals — deficiencies that prompted an overhaul. In October 2025, NIMC introduced an Employee Performance Management System that ties directors and department heads to performance contracts, backed by measurable key performance indicators, quarterly reviews and technology‑enabled monitoring.
“We have trained over 600 headquarters staff and almost 4,000 personnel across more than 200 enrolment centres nationwide,” Coker‑Odusote said. She added that more than 85% of planned implementation activities are complete and that a new Human Resource Information System now automates appraisals, promotions, pensions and personnel records.
Coker‑Odusote argued the experience illustrates that “strong leadership, technology and accountability are essential to successful public‑sector reforms,” and pledged ongoing support for broader civil‑service modernization, particularly on identity integration and institutional strengthening in line with the NIMC Act 2026.
