The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, has commended the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, for driving reforms that have repositioned the commission as a leading public institution in digital identity management and human capital development.
Speaking during a meeting with the NIMC management in Abuja, Walson-Jack praised the commission for successfully implementing the new NIMC Act and securing approval for its Scheme of Service, describing both as major milestones that would strengthen the agency’s operations.
“There is nothing like working with an obsolete law. It pulls you back. You can’t do the things you want to do. Kudos to you and your team. We are happy to have approved the Scheme of Service, and we believe it will add value to the civil service, the public service and especially to NIMC,” she stated.
“I am so excited to hear all that you are doing. The working tools, the training, the capacity building, the HR reforms, you have done remarkably well. I am also impressed that you found it necessary to engage retired Permanent Secretaries. Other agencies should emulate this approach,” Walson-Jack commended.
Describing national identity as critical to governance, Walson-Jack stressed the need for closer collaboration between her office and NIMC to achieve a seamless digital identity ecosystem across government institutions.
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She consequently nominated senior officials from both organisations to develop areas of collaboration that could culminate in a formal Memorandum of Understanding.
The NIMC Director-General thanked the Head of Service for approving the commission’s long-awaited Scheme of Service, saying the request had remained pending since 2007.
“I have been requesting for this since 2007, and you are the Head of Service that approved it for us. Thank you so much. This aligns perfectly with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Federal Government’s public service reforms,” Coker-Odusote said.
She explained that since assuming office, NIMC had anchored its reform agenda on five strategic pillars of human capital development, institutional excellence, technology-driven operations, global competitiveness and improved service delivery, while fully embracing the Performance Management System introduced by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
According to Coker-Odusote, the commission inherited manual appraisal systems, weak performance monitoring mechanisms and inadequate linkage between staff performance and institutional goals, prompting a comprehensive overhaul of its human resource management processes.
The NIMC Director-General disclosed that in October 2025, NIMC formally introduced the Employee Performance Management System through performance contracts signed with directors and heads of departments, backed by measurable Key Performance Indicators, quarterly reviews and technology-enabled performance monitoring.
“We have trained over 600 headquarters staff and almost 4,000 personnel across more than 200 enrolment centres nationwide. Today, over 85 per cent of the implementation activities have been successfully completed, while our Human Resource Information System has automated appraisals, promotions, pensions and staff records,” she explained.
Coker-Odusote maintained that NIMC’s experience had demonstrated that strong leadership, technology and accountability are essential to successful public sector reforms.
She added that the commission remains committed to supporting broader public service reforms and collaborating closely with the Office of the Head of the Civil Service, particularly on identity integration and institutional strengthening in line with the NIMC Act 2026.
