President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has issued a definitive directive to all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) across the country to rapidly deepen digitalized work processes, signaling an absolute end to manual and opaque governance in Nigeria’s public sector.
The President gave this charge while declaring open the 2026 International Civil Service Conference (ICSC), which took place from May 20 to 21 at the Eagle Square in Abuja.
The high-profile conference, convened by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) under the theme “Reforms, Resilience, and Results,” drew over 5,000 participants, including delegates from 16 countries spanning Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America.
President Tinubu, who was represented at the event by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, emphasized that modernizing public service operations is no longer optional if the nation is to achieve sustainable development.
The event saw the high-impact return of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation as the Diamond Partner, which is the highest sponsorship tier of the conference.
The public sector-focused philanthropic organization actively shaped the event’s intellectual agenda through a high-level keynote address, a strategic panel session, an alumni-led roundtable, and a dedicated reform exhibition.
Delivering the opening keynote address on the topic “Public-Private Collaboration for Service Delivery and Innovation,” the Chairman of the Foundation, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, challenged leaders from both the public and private sectors to redefine what genuine collaboration for reform truly demands.
He noted that meaningful public-private partnership is not simply about signing concessions, privatization, or embarking on infrastructure projects, but fundamentally about building systems that actually work for the citizens.
Aig-Imoukhuede called for a sharper, citizen-centric definition of what constitutes reform success in governance, insisting that institutional progress must be felt on the streets.
He stated that the true measure of whether government is working is whether a passport is issued on time, roads are completed on schedule, hospitals function, pensions are paid without distress, and businesses can be registered without bureaucracy.
Issuing a direct challenge to the organized private sector, the veteran financier stated that no government can single-handedly transform a nation, noting that the most successful nations globally are those where government and business work in tandem rather than against each other.
A centerpiece of the Foundation’s heavy engagement at the conference was an alumni-led roundtable titled “Navigating Public Sector Reform.”
The session convened alumni of the prestigious AIG Public Leaders Programme (AIG PLP), heads of various MDAs, and private sector stakeholders to bridge the gap between brilliant reform ideas and the actual institutional and financial resources required to execute them successfully.
Reaffirming the organization’s long-term vision, the Executive Vice Chair of the Foundation, Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, emphasized that the civil service remains entirely central to national development.
She noted that their continuous partnership reflects a deep commitment to equipping public sector leaders with the critical tools, networks, and capabilities needed to drive verifiable results.
The Foundation’s heavy footprint at the 2026 conference builds directly upon its multi-year partnership with the Federal Civil Service.
Over the years, this has been driven through various capacity-building initiatives, including the AIG Public Leaders Programme, the AIG Scholarships and Fellowship Programme, and targeted strategic advisory support aimed at actualizing the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP25).
Founded by Aigboje and Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, the philanthropic organization continues to anchor its operations on improving the lives of Africans by transforming how public services are delivered, working closely with affiliate organizations to drive sustainable institutional change across the continent.
