NCE scraps professional membership as blanket promotion requirement

The National Council on Establishments (NCE) has ruled that membership of professional bodies and professional certification should not automatically be required for appointment, promotion or career progression in the Nigerian public service.

The decision was contained in the minutes of the council’s 48th meeting held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, from July 20 to 24, 2026, and obtained by our correspondent.

The council, comprising Heads of Service from the Federal Government, 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, said professional membership and certification should primarily promote professional competence, ethical standards and continuous professional development.

It, however, clarified that such requirements may apply where they are expressly stipulated in an approved Scheme of Service.

The meeting was chaired by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, and attended by Heads of Service from 30 states and the FCT, while six states were represented by permanent secretaries.

Permanent secretaries in charge of establishments, senior government officials and representatives of ministries, departments and agencies also participated in the meeting.

The council specifically resolved that professional membership or certification should be recognised principally for “professional proficiency, ethical standards and continuing professional development.”

It added that such membership should not automatically constitute a condition for appointment, promotion or career progression except where expressly provided in the applicable Scheme of Service.

The resolution affects numerous professional cadres within the public service, including accountants, engineers, lawyers, procurement officers, architects, surveyors, medical professionals, teachers, nurses and pharmacists.

The council’s position effectively means that public servants cannot be required to belong to a professional association as a blanket condition for career advancement unless such a requirement has a formal basis in the relevant service rules.

It does not, however, remove mandatory professional qualifications or certifications where they are specifically required for a particular cadre under an approved Scheme of Service.

The decision comes amid ongoing public service reforms focused on professionalism, competency development, skills utilisation and improved service delivery.

Under the Public Service Rules, promotion is determined by factors including qualifications, experience, training, performance and the skills and competencies required for the relevant cadre.

The NCE also considered requests for enhanced entry points into public service cadres, noting that such approvals could have wider financial and grade-relativity implications.

It approved a Harmonised Entry Point Framework developed by its standing committee to guide the determination of entry points across public service cadres.

Ten memoranda on enhanced entry points were referred to the committee for assessment under the new framework, while five others were referred for further study.

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

According to the council, the exercise will assess the existing workforce, identify available skills and establish critical personnel and competency gaps.

It said the outcome would be important in objectively assessing requests for the creation of new cadres.

The council approved the creation of the Paramedics Assistant Cadre, Salary Grade Levels 04 to 07, and the Paramedics Technician Cadre, Salary Grade Levels 06 to 14, in the public service schemes of service.

It also called for continued collaboration among the federal, state and FCT public services to promote harmonised standards, professionalism and effective human resource management.

The 48th meeting served as Walson-Jack’s valedictory meeting as chairman of the council, with members commending her leadership and contributions to the public service.