By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Shuaib Belgore, said lack of professionals on ground makes projects supervision cumbersome for the ministry.
Belgore stated this during the flagged off of Personnel Audit and Skills Gap Analysis (PAGSA) Project for the Ministry.
He said that the Ministry often deploys officers from the headquarters for site inspections across the states.
He explained that the Ministry was grossly understaffed, having lost over 1,600 staff members due to retirement in the last year and a half.
The Perm Sec said this has led to missing skills and gaps opening up at Ministry including states field offices.
” The Ministry is interested to partner with the Georgid Consultants to ensure strengthening the identified gaps and build capacity for the Ministry”.
Dr. Belgore charged the team of consultants to be very detailed in the conduct of the verification exercise, he said “get exactly what our strengths are across the headquarters and all our offices and we will be very interested to have you present some of your findings to us”, he said.
He noted that the exercise was a very important part of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP 25), in the sense that it is about capacity and building human resources for the next generation.
Accordingly, he mandated every staff of the Ministry to coorporate fully with the team of consultants for the exercise, adding that the team will also be inspected to ensure that they achieve the mandate of the ministry.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary highlighted the primary mandate of the ministry in providing affordable housing for Nigerians, acknowledging the hard work put into achieving the mandate by the staff of the ministry.
Belgore pledged full support of the Ministry to the Consultant to deliver the assignment.
Earlier, the CEO of the Georgid Consulting, Isaac Idontenyi noted that it was essential to carry out an effective and efficient verification exercise as the initiative aims to reposition and transform the Federal Civil Service for national transformation and growth.
While stating that the physical verification process will begin on Monday, with a designated venue and collaborative efforts of directors of the Ministry, he outlined the broad scope of the exercise which includes data collection, performance management, leadership and succession planning, training, recruitment, and placement.
He also explained that the verification process will use a technology tool to capture information, ensuring data integrity and coverage across the country.
In his welcome address, the acting Director Human Resource Management, Ayodele Ademola, noted that the exercise marks a significant step in the collective effort to strengthen institutional capacity, enhance efficiency, and align the Ministry’s human resources with its renewed mandate under the present administration.
He said the initiative underscores the commitment of the Head of Service to accountability, transparency, and excellence in service delivery.
PASGA is an important part of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP 25), being anchored by the Office of Head of Civil Service of the Federation.
It is a verification exercise that is aimed at verifying and updating personnel records, identifying skills and capacity gaps, as well as supporting workforce planning and reforms, of all civil servants of the federation.
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