By
Taiye Bayode
Today, the Secretariat conference hall was filled with Directors of Administration and Enumerators drawn from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies as the Head of Service, Dr. Elijah Adeiza Evinemi, FCA, ably represented by the Acting Permanent Secretary, Administration and Public Services, Alhaji Ahmed Idris took another decisive step towards strengthening personnel administration through the digitization of the State nominal roll.
The session, which was both a clarification and confidence building engagement, was aimed at correcting misconceptions, aligning processes, and ensuring uniform understanding across MDAs.
From the onset, participants were assured that the ongoing data capture exercise is not, in any form, a screening or staff strength verification exercise.
It was clearly stated that no screening can commence without the approval of His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, and that the current exercise remains a purely administrative reform designed to improve record accuracy.
Officials were urged to completely disregard rumours and negative narratives surrounding the exercise, as they do not reflect the intent of the Office of the Head of Service.
The sensitization was necessitated by challenges observed during an earlier engagement, where not all MDAs were adequately represented.
Following complaints and feedback, approval was graciously granted for a fresh engagement to ensure that all Directors of Administration and Enumerators are on the same page.
Participants were commended for their efforts so far, especially those who commenced data capture despite initial technical and operational challenges.
Leading the exercise, Mr. Baba Daniel explained that the digitization process is critical to resolving long standing administrative gaps, including unreported staff deaths, poorly documented transfers of service, duplicate staff numbers, and inaccurate deployment records.
According to him, centralizing the nominal roll will eliminate the repeated issuance of circulars requesting staff lists and enable quicker access to credible data whenever required by government.
A major focus of the engagement was the importance of accuracy in key data fields such as MDA, process, duty station, staff number, and PSN number.
Participants were informed that the system automatically filters and sorts entries, meaning any error would result in staff records appearing under the wrong MDA or being flagged for recapture.
Highlighted duplicate entries, particularly in staff numbers and PSN numbers, were explained as indicators of shared or wrongly entered identities that must be reconciled through proper channels.
Attention was also drawn to the quality of passport uploads, with concerns raised over poorly captured images submitted during earlier entries.
Enumerators were advised to use scanning applications, ensure clear backgrounds, and resize images appropriately, noting that poor image quality affects official records and future ID card production.
While practical guidance was given, Officers were to seek assistance rather than improvise or manipulate fields.
The engagement further emphasized collaboration between Directors of Administration and Enumerators, stressing that no information should be withheld from officers directly handling the capture process.
Furthermore, participants were encouraged to remain active on the official communication platform, check updates regularly, and promptly reconcile returned templates against their nominal rolls to correct identified errors.
In conclusion, the sensitization exercise underscored the commitment of the State Government to modernizing civil service administration through digital solutions, transparency, and accountability, as it reaffirmed that once completed, the digitized nominal roll will serve as a reliable backup for both MDAs and the Office of the Head of Service, thereby ensuring efficiency, traceability, and ease of access to staff records.
