Building a Data Powered Civil Service for a Stronger Nation: The Pivotage Consulting Approach
Nigeria is at a critical moment in the evolution of its public institutions. The demands on government are complex, resources are finite, and citizens expect a standard of service delivery that reflects transparency, efficiency, and competence.
Strengthening the workforce that drives public governance is no longer a policy aspiration. It is an economic necessity.
This is why the ongoing personnel audit and skills gap analysis (PASGA) exercise of the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation represents one of the most consequential administrative reforms in recent years. As one of the 15 indigenous companies currently supporting the project, Pivotage Consulting is privileged to play a direct role in helping the federal government improve the integrity of its human capital systems.
Pivotage Consulting is responsible for the verification covering more than 7,000 Federal Civil Service personnel across multiple colleges and regions in the country, which constitutes approximately 12 percent of the total personnel being audited in this phase of the exercise.
It is a responsibility that reflects trust, proven experience, and professional capacity on a reform of national scope.
We acknowledge and appreciate the commitment and leadership of the Presidency, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, and other agencies whose support has enabled this project. We also recognise the work of the fourteen other organisations collaborating across the field. National transformation succeeds when institutions align and execute with shared purpose.
While this assignment is significant in scope, it is not a new terrain for Pivotage. In our nine years of operations, this becomes our second large scale Government audit engagement. The first being Project P.E.W, the Job Audit and workforce restructuring initiative commissioned by the Osun State Government in 2018 covering 40,575 employees across 104 Ministries, Departments and Agencies. That exercise focused on Productivity, Efficiency and Welfare across the entire state monthly wage structure. It remains one of the earliest and most extensive data driven workforce audits conducted by a private sector firm in Nigeria at the time.
Our approach to public sector workforce reform follows a clear sequence: verification of personnel data, structuring of roles and skills, and optimisation of deployment and wage systems. This methodology has guided engagements from Osun State to the current federal exercise.
Our experience across these projects has shown one clear truth: strong nations are built on strong institutions, and strong institutions are built on accurate data and transparent systems. A modern Civil Service must be digitised, structured, and properly verified. It must be able to account for its workforce, optimise its wage bill, and align its personnel to national priorities.
As the CEO of Pivotage Consulting, Doyin Gbajabiamila always emphasises, “the future of public sector performance is data-native, the future of workforce effectiveness is measurable, and national development will be defined by how well we build the systems that run the country.”
The work being undertaken today reinforces that principle and demonstrates the institutional capacity within the Nigerian private sector to support Government reform at scale.
This is the mission that continues to drive Pivotage Consulting. We remain focused on partnering with government to build a better public service workforce through rigorous analytics, structured talent systems, and operational excellence.
With the right data, the right strategy and the right execution, Nigeria can strengthen its institutional foundation and build a civil service that delivers value to citizens and deepens national competitiveness.
As we approach our 10th anniversary in January 2026, the opportunity to contribute to reforms of this scale is both a responsibility and a validation. Our record of delivery shows that Nigerian firms can design solutions at global standards and drive transformation, not just manage outsourcing.
Pivotage Consulting which can be reached on info@pivotageconsulting.com, remains committed to this work.
