FCSC Permanent Secretary Ebiogeh Urges Civil Servants to Embrace Professionalism and Performance-Driven Reforms at Umuahia Conference

The 44th National Council and Annual Conference of Civil Service Commissions of the Federation opened its technical sessions in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, with a strong call for civil servants nationwide to embrace professionalism, adaptability, and comprehensive reforms. The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Mr. Phillip Ebiogeh, delivered the urgent appeal, stressing that the contemporary public service operates within a rapidly evolving socio-economic and technological environment that demands a workforce aligned with global standards.

Ebiogeh noted that the conference’s theme, focusing on “Repositioning Civil Service Commissions,” is timely and essential for promoting principles of good governance, including accountability, transparency, and efficiency. He challenged the commissions, which he described as the gatekeepers of meritocracy, to transform into strategic human resource institutions that champion professional standards and workforce planning, moving beyond merely being recruitment agencies.

He pointed out that central to this transformation are key reform pillars, including strengthening recruitment, promotion, and disciplinary processes to ensure fairness and objectivity, and the embedding of measurable performance indicators into all human resource decisions.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Abia State Civil Service Commission, Mrs. Ekaette Oham, said the theme of the conference serves as a wake-up call for federal and state civil service commissions to take legislative steps toward functional human resource management.

She said, “Therefore, we must go beyond the rhetoric to imbibe visible and identifiable practices to reposition the civil service”.

Oham urged participants to engage actively and embrace collaboration throughout the event.

She said, “Let us not leave here armed only with recommendations, but with renewed zeal and determination to implement them. The repositioning of our civil service commissions is not a task for tomorrow. It is a responsibility for today and together we must rise to it.

“This conference, therefore, provides us with a unique platform to dialogue and to profess a new trajectory for reflections on strengthening our institutions, capacities and competences.

“Over the coming sessions, we shall interrogate current practices, share experiences and explore strategies that will strengthen recruitment processes, enhance training and capacity development and entrench professionalism across all public service.