Professional membership not automatic requirement for promotion, career progression – NCE

The National Council on Establishments (NCE) has resolved that membership or certification by professional bodies should not automatically be made a condition for appointment, promotion or career progression in the Nigerian public service.

The council, however, clarified that professional membership and certification may remain mandatory where expressly provided for in the approved Schemes of Service governing a particular cadre.

The resolution states that professional membership or certification should primarily serve the purposes of professional proficiency, ethical standards and continuing professional development, rather than being imposed as a blanket requirement across the public service.

The position affects a wide range of professional cadres, including accountants, engineers, lawyers, human resource practitioners, procurement specialists, surveyors, architects, medical professionals, teachers, nurses and pharmacists.

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The council’s decision means that public servants should not be required to belong to a professional body merely for promotion or career progression unless such membership is specifically prescribed by the applicable Scheme of Service.

The NCE also approved a Harmonised Entry Point Framework for determining entry points into cadres across the public service, noting that requests for enhanced entry points have significant financial, grade-relativity and service-wide implications.

Ten memoranda seeking enhanced entry points were referred to the council’s standing committee for evaluation under the new framework, while five others were referred for further study.

The council also stepped down requests for the creation of five new cadres pending completion of the personnel audit and skills-gap analysis being conducted by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

The exercise is expected to assess the existing workforce, identify available skills and determine critical personnel and competency gaps to guide decisions on the creation of new cadres.

The council further approved the creation of the Paramedics Assistant Cadre, Salary Grade Levels 04–07, and the Paramedics Technician Cadre, Salary Grade Levels 06–14, in the Schemes of Service.