By Our correspondent
The Federal Government has given civil servants who are yet to complete the ongoing Personnel Audit and Skills Gap Analysis (PASGA) a final two-week window to regularise their status or risk having their salaries stopped from March 2026.
This directive was contained in a memo issued by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and obtained on Tuesday. The memo, signed by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, was addressed to the Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission, Tunji Olaopa.
The Federal Government commenced the Personnel Audit and Skills Gap Analysis in 2025 as part of sweeping reforms designed to enhance efficiency, accountability and integrity within the Federal Civil Service. The initiative followed a directive by President Bola Tinubu during the 2025 maiden International Civil Service Week.
According to the President, the exercise is intended to ensure that “the right people with the right competencies” are assigned appropriate responsibilities across ministries, departments and agencies. It is also aimed at identifying irregularities on the federal payroll, including unverified personnel and competency gaps within the service.
Despite the commencement of the audit last year, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service noted that a number of officers have yet to complete the required physical verification and online assessment components.
In the memo, Walson-Jack directed the immediate commencement of a final mop-up exercise to conclude both the Personnel Audit (physical verification) and the Skills Gap Assessment (online evaluation).
“It has become necessary to conclude this exercise decisively in order to strengthen establishment control and ensure that only duly verified and assessed officers remain on the federal payroll,” the memo stated.
The final verification window will run from Monday, February 16 to Friday, February 27, 2026, in Abuja. Physical verification will take place at Atiku Hall, Block A, 1st Floor, and Afolabi Hall, Block D, 1st Floor, both within the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation complex.
The memo stressed that the exercise is strictly for officers with outstanding cases and represents the last opportunity to regularise personnel records under PASGA. It clarified that completion of PASGA requires successful participation in both the physical verification and the online Skills Gap Assessment.
Officers who fail to complete either or both components within the stipulated period will be deemed non-compliant.
“In line with government policy on payroll integrity and fiscal accountability, salaries of officers who remain non-compliant at the close of the mop-up window shall be stopped with effect from March 2026,” the memo warned.
It further stated that defaulters would be subjected to administrative processes leading to the termination of their appointments in accordance with the Public Service Rules.
The government’s tough stance is rooted in longstanding concerns over payroll irregularities within the Federal Civil Service, including cases of individuals who relocated abroad without proper documentation yet continued to receive salaries.
Over the years, successive administrations have uncovered instances where civil servants secured employment or academic placements overseas while remaining on the federal payroll. Authorities have consistently described such practices as a drain on public finances and a distortion of workforce planning.
With the February 27 deadline now set as the final cut-off, the Federal Government appears determined to close the PASGA exercise without further extensions and enforce compliance across the civil service.
