Civil Service Commission in Nigeria: Overview & Functions

The civil service commission is a body independent of the civil service itself, established by the government to administer the civil service. The commission is insulated from partisan politics, and is made up of full time chairman, some full-time commissioners and some part-time commissioners.

The chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission is appointed by the president, while that of each state is appointed by the governor. Members should be people of proven integrity and good education.

FUNCTIONS OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION

1. It recruits highly qualified personnel into the civil service, based upon good educational qualifications and performance in competitive, written examinations and interviews.
2. The civil service commission promotes competent and productive senior civil servants from one grade to another.
3. It can transfer civil servants from one department to the other.
4. The commission has disciplinary powers, like suspension or dismissal of erring civil servants.
5. It is vested with the power of retiring civil servants and advising in the payment of their pension entitlements and allowances.
6. It offers advice to the government on the appointment of suitable individuals to fill some sensitive positions in public corporations and parastatals.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE VARIOUS CLASSES IN THE CIVIL SERVICE

1. The administrative class of the civil service formulates and initiates policies and programmes which the executive class would generally implement. (Dedicated and hardworking employees from the executive class may be periodically promoted into the administrative cadre.)
2. The executive class supervises and controls the activities of the clerical class, and stores information which the administrative class utilizes in the process of policy planning and implementation.
3. The clerical class comprises clerks, typists and secretaries. They undertake the clerical work of their departments such as record keeping, movement of files, preparation of vouchers, accounts examination and payment of claims to all categories of staff.
4. The auxiliary class refers to the drivers, messengers, gardeners, porters, security men, painters, cleaners, etc. They provide various services such as driving of top civil servants, protecting them from criminal attacks, building and painting of government offices and general cleaning.
5. The professional class offers useful advice on the technical policies to be formulated and implemented by the administrative and executive classes in the civil service.