By Stella Odueme
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Olumuyiwa Enitan Abel, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to inclusive leadership, gender equality and improved career advancement opportunities for women in the public service.
Abel made this commitment in his goodwill message at a high-level strategy meeting with Heads of Cooperation and key stakeholders on accelerating gender equality and women’s empowerment in Nigeria, organised by UN Women at the UN House, Abuja.
According to a statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Mrs. Eno Olotu, on Tuesday, he highlighted the strategic partnership between the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) and UN Women, supported by a five-year Memorandum of Understanding signed at the 2026 International Civil Service Conference to promote gender-responsive reforms and women’s advancement in the public sector.
The HCSF also emphasised the importance of the Inclusive Network for Supporting Progressive Leadership, Innovation, Reform and Equity for Women (INSPIRE), launched by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as a platform for mentoring, leadership development and professional advancement for women.
According to Abel, preliminary workforce analysis indicates that women account for 43.84 per cent of the Federal Civil Service and 42.31 per cent of senior officers on Grade Levels 15 to 17. He added that women constitute 40.11 per cent of officers at Grade Level 17.
While acknowledging women’s contributions to public administration, he stressed the need for deliberate interventions to improve their career progression and representation in senior leadership positions.
He further highlighted existing provisions supporting women and families in the Civil Service, including 112 working days of maternity leave with full pay, merit-based career progression and safeguards against workplace harassment.
Abel noted that these measures provide a foundation for building an inclusive Civil Service that promotes equal opportunities, productivity and institutional effectiveness.
He reaffirmed the OHCSF’s readiness to collaborate with UN Women and development partners to strengthen implementation, build institutional capacity and establish measurable outcomes for women’s leadership and professional development across the public service.
In her remarks, the UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Beatrice Eyong, commended the Federal Civil Service for its commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Eyong described the five-year agreement with the OHCSF as a strong foundation for advancing gender-responsive governance and pledged UN Women’s continued technical support towards achieving measurable and sustainable outcomes for women and girls across Nigeria.
Other stakeholders at the meeting called for sustained collaboration, coordinated interventions and adequate investment to accelerate gender equality and women’s empowerment in the country.