The Federal Government has called for a comprehensive review of the civil service disciplinary control system to promote culture change, value reorientation, and faster resolution of disciplinary cases.
Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Prof. Tunji Olaopa, made the call during a one-day joint retreat between the Commission and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF).
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the FCSC’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Taiwo Hassan, Olaopa stressed the need for deep reforms to address longstanding bureaucratic bottlenecks in handling disciplinary matters.
“The Chairman called for a holistic review of disciplinary control in the civil service to drive culture change, value reorientation, and reverse the delays in handling disciplinary cases,” the statement read in part.
Olaopa likened the relationship between the FCSC and the OHCSF to that of “Siamese twins,” given their shared responsibility for policy implementation, regulatory oversight, and leadership within the federal civil service.
“There is a thin line in the shared central governance roles of both offices, which naturally creates areas of overlap, conflict, and tension,” he said. “This retreat provides an opportunity for open communication, dialogue, co-creation, and collaboration in an environment that fosters trust and strategic partnership.”
The FCSC chairman also highlighted the need to strengthen the connection between merit, competency-based human resource practices, performance management, and wage structure, describing this alignment as essential to restoring the Federal Government’s reputation as an “employer of choice.”
Speaking earlier, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Esther Walson-Jack, said the retreat symbolised a renewed partnership between the two institutions and a collective commitment to improving service delivery.
She praised Olaopa for his “unwavering support” and described him as a dependable ally in the ongoing civil service reform process. Walson-Jack also commended the Commission for introducing initiatives such as the Computer-Based Test (CBT) for promotion examinations and **merit-based recruitment, which she said would strengthen transparency and fairness in the system.
The renewed call for reform follows growing public concern over delayed disciplinary actions, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and weak accountability mechanisms in the federal civil service.
Stakeholders have long argued that overlapping mandates between the FCSC and OHCSF contribute to administrative confusion and slow decision-making, urging both institutions to work more closely to define roles and streamline operations.
