FG Declares PASGA Exercise A Major Success, Sets Path For A Future-Ready Public Service

The Federal Government 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.”

Federal Government

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.

Suleiman Haruna, PhD, mnipr
Director, Public Relations and Protocol
Thursday, 16 April, 2026

Alleged $1.3m, N746.6m Humanitarian Ministry Fraud: Court Issues Arrest Warrant Against Sadiya, Perm Sec

Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court Abuja on Thursday, April 16, 2026 issued a warrant of arrest against a former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Faruoq and a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali.

Farouq and Alkali are scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday before the court but failed to appear. Only the third defendant, Sani Nafiu Mohammed was present in court.

The trio are to be arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on a twenty-one count charge bordering on breach of trust, abuse of office, fraudulent award of contract and conversion of public funds of about $1,300,000( One Million, Three Hundred Thousand United States Dollars, and N746,574,303( Seven Hundred and Forty Six Million, Five Hundred and Seventy Four Naira, Three Hundred and Three Naira)

Count one of the charge reads: “That you Sadiya Umar Farouq, While being Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, and Bashir Nura Alkali while being the permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, between 8 May 2021 and 22 September 2022, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, and in such capacity entrusted with certain property to wit, an aggregate sum of $1,300,000.00(One Million, Three Hundred Thousand Dollars), committed criminal breach of trust in respect of the said property when you fraudulently converted the said sum to your personal benefit and which sum was meant to be refunded to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development by Visual ICT Limited, being excess funds paid by the Ministry under National Social Safety Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO) for the validation of Rapid Response Register beneficiaries and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 315 of the Penal Code and Punishable under the same Section.”

Prosecution counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, informed the court that the charge had been filed since December 15, 2025, but the first and second defendants could not be served.

“We could not arraign them on 15 December, because we could not produce them but their lawyers in court promised that they would produce the defendants but we didn’t see them until your lordship made an order for the state service. The defendants have now been served, my lord, only the third defendant has reported to the Commission when his surety was contacted. The third defendant’s surety is also in court”, he said.

Rotimi further informed the court the first defendant wrote to the Commission that she was going for a medical check-up in Saudi Arabia in 2024 and her passport was released to her for the medical check-up.

“My lord, since that passport was released to her, she has not returned the passport to the Commission . We do not have the medical report in Saudi Arabia till date. Only this morning, my friend served me with an affidavit of fact, the learned senior counsel for the first defendant, wherein the deponent claimed that the first defendant took ill, my lord, all the medical reports which my friend attached to the affidavit of facts were issued after the charge had been filed. No medical report was issued or shown to us for the approved journey and the release of her passport”, he said

Counsel to the first defendant, Abdul Ibrahim, SAN, informed the court that the reason for her absence was ill health. He also prayed the court to accept an affidavit of fact he sought to tender, but the court rejected the application.

Also, Jacobs informed the court that the EFCC wanted to amend an ex-parte motion filed on February 16, 2026, which sought to limit the application to only the first and second defendants. He further prayed the court to order a warrant of arrest against the first and second defendants.

EFCC

“We are praying your lordship to order or issue a warrant of arrest or bench warrant against the first and second defendants. It is also supported by an affidavit by one Celeb Peter on April 15, 2026 showing that the first and second defendants were granted bail but failed to report back and that the charge had been filed and served on them but they have failed to appear before the court today. It is imperative therefore for this honourable court to permit the Commission to arrest the first and second defendants so that they can be compelled to appear before the court”, he said.

The defence counsel, on the other hand, prayed the court to allow him produce the first defendant in court in a period of six weeks

Delivering a ruling on the applications, Justice Onwuegbuzie issued a warrant of arrest against the first and second defendants and adjourned the matter till May 18, 2026 for arraignment and trial.

Nigeria Open To More Investment In Offshore Oil And Gas Sector

The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has boosted investor confidence in Nigeria, expressing optimism that reforms under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda are driving a steady rise in Foreign Direct Investment, particularly in offshore oil and gas exploration.

The Minister shared this optimism today while receiving Mr. Jagir Baxi on a working visit. Mr. Baxi is the newly appointed Chairman, Managing Director, and Lead Country Manager of ExxonMobil Nigeria and its affiliates — Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited and Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Offshore East) Limited.

Dr. Tunji-Ojo stated: “We can increase our production. I sincerely believe we can do more than we are currently doing in oil exploration. We need more investment from ExxonMobil. Investors require the right policies, as well as strategic partnerships and alliances.”

He assured the ExxonMobil management team of the Federal Government’s unwavering support, particularly from the Ministry of Interior.

The Minister commended ExxonMobil and its affiliates for their cutting-edge initiatives in developing Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, especially in offshore exploration. He also expressed appreciation to the company for its sustained investment and commitment to the Nigerian economy.

According to verified statistics, ExxonMobil and its affiliates have invested over $3.5 billion in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

Earlier, Mr. Jagir Baxi commended the Minister’s reform-driven leadership in repositioning Nigeria’s internal security, immigration, emergency management, and correctional services. He reaffirmed that ExxonMobil will continue to invest in Nigeria, with a focus on deep-water resources.

Nigeria Open To More Investment In Offshore Oil And Gas Sector

Highlighting the company’s over 70-year presence in Nigeria, Mr. Baxi cited the Erha offshore oil and gas platform as a flagship project delivering significant value to the country. He noted that the platform has generated over $1 billion in royalties, $22 billion in taxes, and $300 million in levies for the Nigerian economy.

E-Signed
Mary Ali (Mrs)
Head, Press and Public Relations
16th April 2026