WorldStage– The Federal Government of Nigeria has declared the Personnel Audit and Skills Gap Analysis (PASGA) exercise at the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation a resounding success, marking a significant milestone in ongoing efforts to reposition the public service for efficiency, transparency, and digital transformation.
The high-level presentation, held at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, brought together senior government officials, representatives from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, and consultants, to review key findings and outline strategic pathways for institutional reform.
Presenting the report, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Stransform Ltd, Offiong Archibong, stated that the PASGA project has successfully achieved its core objectives through a combination of personnel audits, stakeholder engagements, and data-driven assessments designed to strengthen workforce structure and enhance service delivery.
She explained that the exercise was designed “to present key findings, receive feedback, and discuss next steps,” adding that the process covered extensive field verification across departments and state-linked offices to ensure accuracy and credibility of data.
She stressed that the PASGA exercise provides more than just diagnostics, stating that “the idea is to build an agile, future-ready workforce… not just for what you need now, but for what you need tomorrow.”
On institutional sustainability, she emphasised the urgency of structured succession planning and knowledge transfer, warning that “we are advocating that you don’t let people just exit like that… these are the foundation of knowledge within the system, and when they leave, they always leave a gap.”
Archibong further identified critical capacity gaps in strategic communication, digital content development, records management, and data analytics, noting that strengthening these areas is essential to improving national narrative management and governance effectiveness.
She also pointed to systemic challenges rather than individual shortcomings, stating that “these skills deficits are not individual failure; they reflect systemic design challenges in role specification, training, governance, recruitment strategy, and performance management.”
Speaking on gender representation, she commended the Ministry’s workforce composition, describing it as a positive benchmark, noting that “this is the first ministry we have seen with this kind of gender representation… 56 per cent are women, and we are very proud of it.”
In his remarks on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, the Director, Publication, Production and Documentary, Mr Okunnu Ibidapo, acknowledged the significance of the PASGA findings and commended the consulting team for a thorough and insightful exercise. He noted that the report provides a clear direction for strengthening institutional performance and assured that the Ministry will carefully review the recommendations with a view to full implementation.
