Heads of agencies in the Ministry of the Interior have reaffirmed their commitment to fully implementing the Performance Management System and transitioning their services towards digital and paperless operations.

They made the pledge on Monday in Abuja at the opening of a three-day capacity-building programme on PMS organised and funded by the interior ministry in collaboration with Zimedy Services Ltd.

Speaking at the event, the commandant-general of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ahmed Audi, praised the Minister’s leadership and support for institutional reforms in the ministry.

Describing the minister as “young, vibrant, calculative and God-sent”, Mr Audi said that the training aligned with strategic decisions made earlier at a retreat on cascading PMS across agencies.

Mr Audi assured that participants would pay full attention, participate diligently and replicate the training across their departments.

“We all know how central the implementation of PMS is. The essence is to reduce paperwork and move towards a paperless regime to fast-track our operations. We promised the Minister that after this training we will give our best, because anything short of the best is not acceptable,” he added.

The comptroller-general of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kemi Nandap, said the programme reinforced the ministry’s commitment to continuous professional development and improved public service delivery.

“This training is important because it strengthens our skills and helps us bring forward challenges while engaging facilitators. It will not be an exercise in futility,” she said.

Ms Nandap noted that the training would enhance efficiency and support the service’s mandate, saying “We will be better informed and better equipped to implement PMS at the end of this programme.”

On his part, the controller-general of the Federal Fire Service, Samuel Olumode-Adeyemi, commended the minister for fulfilling his promise to retrain agency personnel following a performance review exercise in Suleja.

Mr Olumode-Adeyemi urged officers to be punctual, attentive and proactive during the training, stressing the importance of cascading the knowledge to departments.

“We must make this training collaborative and lively, ask questions, and make good use of the opportunity. We may not have this chance again,” he added.

The controller-general of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Sylvester Nwakuche, stated that the service is committed to fostering a performance-driven culture to ensure accountability and institutional excellence.

“Excellence in public institutions does not occur by chance but is cultivated through structure, discipline, and purpose-driven leadership,” he maintained.

Mr Nwakuche thanked the minister, permanent secretary, and organisers for prioritising staff development and expressed optimism that the training would strengthen productivity across the NCoS.

(NAN)