Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno on Wednesday expressed readiness to domesticate the Federal Government’s digital administrative initiatives to achieving efficiency in the state civil service.
Zulum made this known when Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, paid him a visit in Maiduguri.
The governor commended the federal government’s ongoing civil service reforms, noting that its digitisation initiatives, the Service-Wise GPT, federal circulars compendium, and staff training programmes, were very timely and commendable.
“You enumerated a number of innovative programmes, especially on digitisation of the civil service, including Service-Wise GPT, the online compendium of federal government circulars, and the federal civil service academy for training staff, as well as the service welfare newsletters.
“I want to assure you that most of these shall be domesticated at the state level for effective vertical and horizontal coordination,” he said.
Zulum also urged the Head of Service to intensify efforts toward repositioning federal training institutions such as the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) and others, stressing the importance of continuous professional development of civil servants.
He announced that the state government had provided residential quarters to heads of federal agencies in Maiduguri, and would formally allocate the houses to the federal government to ensure ownership by institutions rather than individuals.
“We have built houses and allocated them to heads of federal civil service institutions in Borno. I will send the allocation letters to your office so that the federal government will own the houses, not the individual occupants,” the governor said.
Earlier, Mrs Walson-Jack commended Zulum for his administration’s support for civil service reforms and welfare, particularly the implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage and the enrolment of civil servants in the public sector health insurance scheme.
“I am privileged to witness first-hand your administration’s development strides, particularly in education and infrastructure.
“These interventions reflect a shared commitment to a healthier, stronger and more productive workforce,” she said.
The Head of Service highlighted ongoing federal initiatives under the 2021–2025 Federal Civil Service Implementation Plan, including the rollout of digital tools such as Service-Wise GPT and GovMail, a secure email platform for public servants.
“Service-Wise GPT is gaining popularity in Nigeria, and I would love Borno State to adopt it for enhanced productivity.
“We have also created over 34,000 official emails for public servants since December 2024, laying the foundation for full digitisation,” she said.
Walson-Jack also lauded the restoration of the Federal Training Centre in Maiduguri, which had been displaced due to the Boko Haram insurgency.
She described the Zulum-led administration’s reforms as bold, timely and aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
