The Federal Government on Saturday honoured the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation with a special recognition award for its unwavering support to public service reform and excellence in Nigeria’s civil service.
The award was presented at the 2025 Federal Civil Service Rewards and Recognition Awards Ceremony in Abuja.
Speaking at the award night, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, described the Foundation as a “longstanding and vital partner” in the transformation of Nigeria’s public sector.
“The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation’s support has been vital in institutionalizing a culture of performance, innovation, and accountability,” she said.
According to Mrs. Patience Oyekunle, Permanent Secretary of the Service Welfare Office and Chair of the Service-Wide Awards Selection Committee (SWASCo), the Foundation sponsored cash prizes for 16 of the 21 awards given on the night, including the prestigious Presidential Distinguished Civil Service Award, which went to Dr. Bahijjatu Hadiza of the Ministry of Environment.
She received a 2024 model SUV, a laptop, an award plaque, foreign short course, master class training, and a certificate.
Other awardees included four recipients of the Presidential Civil Service Merit Award, twelve winners of the Head of Civil Service EPIC Award, and departments recognised for excellence in service delivery, sports achievement, and diversity and inclusion.
In her keynote address, Walson-Jack hailed the night as the climax of the 2025 Civil Service Week and emphasised the importance of celebrating diligence, reform, and service.
“Tonight, we honor the unsung heroes who breathe life into public service. These awardees are not just workers. They are reformers. Quiet reformers,” she said.
She praised the awardees for their punctuality, consistency, and commitment to duty, urging all civil servants to embrace punctuality and attendance as “the new face of reform.”
The Head of Service also lauded the role of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation in supporting capacity building under the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 (FCSSIP-25). The Foundation also served as a Diamond sponsor of the Maiden International Civil Service Conference (ICSC) held earlier in the week.
“The future of public service is not coming. It is already here. We have digitized core processes across MDAs. We are reforming performance management so that merit speaks louder than mediocrity,” she added.
She emphasised that the civil service must continue to evolve and uphold values of integrity, diligence, and innovation. “Do your work well, so well that it cannot be ignored,” she said.
The ceremony, attended by dignitaries including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and other senior officials, marked a fitting close to a week of activities aimed at redefining and celebrating Nigeria’s civil service.
“This awards night is the grand finale of a historic Civil Service Week. Let this moment challenge us all to dig deeper, aim higher, and commit more boldly to the values that define true service,” she said.