The Federal Government has announced plans to begin a comprehensive verification exercise for all civil servants across the country on October 16, 2025, in a move aimed at sanitising the federal workforce and strengthening personnel data integrity.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, disclosed this in an internal memo obtained on Monday in Abuja. The exercise, which will run until November 14, 2025, is being organised by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) in collaboration with Philips Consulting and other human resource management firms.
According to the memo titled “Verification Exercise,” the month-long exercise seeks to update personnel records, identify skills gaps, and enhance workforce planning across ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), including federal establishments abroad.
“The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation announces the commencement of a comprehensive verification exercise across the federal civil service. Conducted in partnership with Philips Consulting and other human resource firms, this exercise will verify and update personnel records, identify skills and capacity gaps, and support workforce planning and reforms.
“All civil servants are expected to cooperate fully by presenting themselves for verification and providing accurate information as required,” the memo read.
The development follows President Bola Tinubu’s earlier directive for a full-scale Personnel and Salary System Governance Audit across the federal service. The move, the presidency had noted, was part of broader efforts to eliminate ghost workers, improve service delivery, and enhance efficiency in public administration.
Walson-Jack described the verification as a “foundational reform project” under the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 (FCSSIP 25), which focuses on building a more agile, skilled, and technology-driven public workforce.
“This project will give us what we have long needed — a credible and verifiable personnel database that captures not just numbers, but also skills, competencies, and workforce distribution across MDAs,” she said.
The Head of Service further noted that data from the exercise would inform decisions on recruitment, promotion, training, postings, and succession planning.
“With it, we can direct capacity building where it is most needed and prepare for the next generation of civil servants,” she added.
