ABUJA — The Federal Government is advancing a policy-driven reform agenda aimed at strengthening state capacity, institutional continuity and long-term governance efficiency, with a renewed focus on integrating the expertise of retired Permanent Secretaries into the public service architecture.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, outlined the framework on Wednesday in Abuja during a strategic engagement with the Council of Retired Federal Permanent Secretaries (CORFEPS), led by its Second Vice Chairman, Mr. Akin Arikawe.
Details of the engagement were contained in a statement issued by Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Enikanolaiye said the reform thrust would prioritise the institutionalisation of knowledge transfer mechanisms across the Foreign Service, positioning retired senior officials as critical assets in bridging experience gaps, reinforcing policy coherence and sustaining institutional memory.
“The experience base of retired Permanent Secretaries constitutes a strategic national asset that must be systematically integrated into governance processes,” he said.
Central to the reform agenda, the minister disclosed plans to formalise structured in-house training systems anchored on mentorship, policy advisory and leadership development, designed to align professional capacity with evolving diplomatic and administrative demands.
He also highlighted the need to complete a comprehensive documentation framework for retired Permanent Secretaries, describing it as essential to preserving institutional knowledge, strengthening continuity in governance and enhancing evidence-based policymaking.
On broader national planning, Enikanolaiye called for a recalibration of Nigeria’s development framework to reflect demographic realities, stressing that population dynamics must be embedded within economic strategy to optimise productivity, competitiveness and sustainable growth outcomes.
“Demography must be treated as a core variable in national development planning, not a peripheral consideration,” he said.
The minister further underscored the imperative of linking training and capacity development within the Foreign Service to measurable career progression benchmarks, as part of efforts to build a performance-driven and globally competitive diplomatic corps.
He noted that the reform agenda is anchored on improving policy execution, strengthening institutional resilience and ensuring continuity across administrative cycles.
The meeting concluded with both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and CORFEPS reaffirming their commitment to a structured partnership focused on institutional reform, governance innovation and the long-term strengthening of Nigeria’s public service system.
