The Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Prof. Tunji Olaopa, on Wednesday hinted of an effective partnership between the Commission and the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPM).
Prof. Olaopa dropped the hint when the President of CIPM, Mallam Ahmed Ladan Gobir, led officials of the organisation on a courtesy visit to the FCSC in Abuja.
Olaopa said that a partnership between the FCSC and CIPM would modernise human resource management and thus enable the effective and efficient functioning of the civil service. He promised to relate with the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to advance the idea.
Olaopa, who thanked the CIPM for making him part of its family, noted that he was interested in the professionalisation of the public service, especially in the area of HR management, for which he had worked relentlessly since 1995.
On the desirability of the certification of officers as HR professionals, he cautioned that the process was not enough for true professionalisation unless it is accompanied by requisite skilling and competency impartation, especially for practice in public sector melee.
Commenting on his commission, Prof Olaopa disclosed that a plan had been developed to reposition it through a new philosophy, restructuring, professionalisation, in order to make it a model for transformational HR management with emphasis on merit and integrity.
As regards reforms in the wider civil service, he pointed structural issues such as career stagnation, absence of succession management and poor and uniform remuneration system, which impede the effective institutionalisation of merit and performance management.
He finally welcomed the idea of collaboration between his commission and CIPM in the repositioning agenda and the activities entailed.
Earlier, Mallam Gobir commended Olaopa for the role the FCSC was playing in ensuring a virile public service. He specifically thanked Olaopa for being a teacher, leader, trainer and mentor.
He invited him to his institute's international conference and exhibition holding in Abuja on 12 October 2024.
