•Federal Civil Service Commission chairman, Prof. Tunji Olaopa
The federal government has approved automatic promotion for six civil servants of the Ministry of Defence who were kidnapped in Kogi State while travelling from Lagos to Abuja to sit for their 2025 promotion examinations.
Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Tunji Olaopa, disclosed this on Saturday in Abuja, describing the incident as “regrettable” and deserving of compassionate intervention.
He said the decision was taken in recognition of the trauma experienced by the affected officers, reports The Nation.
“The commission, in giving due consideration to the trauma that the victims of the kidnapping went through, hereby, on compassionate grounds grant automatic promotion to the six (6) candidates to their next grade level as education officers in the Ministry of Defence,” Olaopa said.
The FCSC boss, speaking on behalf of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Esther Walson-Jack, commissioners, and the broader civil service community, also commiserated with the victims.
To prevent similar incidents, Olaopa said the commission would deploy technology to decentralise promotion examinations, allowing candidates to sit for tests without travelling to Abuja.
He spoke at a “Recognition Dinner” organised by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation in honour of newly promoted directors, where he commended Walson-Jack for her reform initiatives and leadership.
Olaopa noted that the latest cohort of directors were the first to undergo the transition from the traditional pen-and-paper examination system to computer-based tests (CBT), which he said recorded “near 100 per cent success.”
He praised the officers for their professionalism during the 2025 Directorate Level Promotion Exercise, adding that the CBT format had significantly enhanced transparency, credibility, and efficiency.
“The CBT had also meant reduction in cost, manpower deployed, time expended. It also demonstrated reliability, accuracy and timely processing of results, thus setting for us a strong foundation for promotion exercises in 2026 and in the years ahead,” he said.
However, Olaopa warned that systemic weaknesses persist within the public service, cautioning that technological reforms risk underperformance if built on fragile administrative structures.
“Indeed… we find out that we are installing 21st century technology-enabled systems on partially collapsed traditional administrative structures. And as is often said, if the foundation be destroyed, what can the righteous reformer do?” he said.
He also raised concerns over what he described as a decline in core professional competencies among civil servants, including knowledge of public service rules, financial regulations, administrative procedures, and communication skills.
According to him, the trend reflects a broader weakening of institutional capacity within ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), undermining the civil service’s role as the engine of national development.
Olaopa attributed part of the challenge to prolonged recruitment embargoes, which he said had disrupted workforce renewal, weakened manpower planning, and created imbalances across cadres.
“This has complicated the service’s historically weak system of workforce planning and why many times we do not declare sufficient vacancies during promotion exercises, making officers suffer highly demotivating stagnation and promotion blocks,” he said.
He expressed optimism that the ongoing human resource audit by the Office of the Head of Service would address structural deficiencies, while also signalling plans to overhaul performance evaluation systems.
According to him, the commission intends to deepen staff assessment frameworks by strengthening performance management systems and replacing the current Annual Performance Evaluation Report (APER), which he described as discredited.
He added that the service could draw lessons from military training institutions by integrating training-based assessments into career progression, ensuring that investments in capacity building translate into advancement.
Congratulating the newly promoted directors, Olaopa urged them to embrace reform and act as change agents within the system, anchored on discipline, patriotism, and long-term commitment to public service excellence.
