By Reportcircle Abuja, Nigeria – November 28, 2025
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has entered a new era of institutional transformation and now the nation’s senior civil service has made it official.
The Director General/Chief Executive Officer of NIMC, Engr. (Dr) Abisoye Coker-Odusote, has been awarded the Excellence in Capacity Building and Staff Welfare Award by the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), marking a major endorsement of a leadership style many insiders say has fundamentally altered the trajectory of the Commission.
The honour bestowed by the National Executive Council of ASCSN recognises a bold, people-centred reform agenda that has delivered unprecedented staff development, improved welfare, and restored institutional morale.
It is the second high-profile honour for the DG in recent weeks, following her Innovation in Service Delivery Award from the Association of Corporate Online Editors (ACOE).
A 5-Point Agenda Reshaping an Entire Institution
Since her appointment, Coker-Odusote has pursued an ambitious 5-Point Agenda anchored on staff welfare, capacity building, operational efficiency, technological enhancement, and improved public service delivery.
Under her leadership:
More than 3,000 staff members have been promoted, ending years of stagnation.
A 25–30% salary increase approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been fully implemented.
All-inclusive training programmes have been rolled out nationwide, covering technical, management, and digital competencies.
Executive retreats and strategic leadership workshops have become standard practice.
Insiders describe these reforms as the most aggressive internal uplift the Commission has seen in over a decade.
In alignment with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the DG has overseen the deployment of over 2,500 new computer systems to strengthen NIN enrolment and automate critical operations.
Strategic departments have been re-equipped with modern workstations and upgraded equipment to meet global best practices, a shift that staff say has finally brought NIMC’s infrastructure into the 21st century.
Beyond tools and training, Coker-Odusote has advanced several welfare-first initiatives:
Introduction of free staff bus services
Construction of a new staff car park
Facilitated access to national food palliatives to cushion economic challenges
These interventions have, according to staff unions, boosted morale, improved productivity, and rebuilt organisational cohesion.
ASCSN did not mince words when explaining why the DG was honoured.
They described her leadership as “a rare display of sincerity and sensitivity to the yearnings of workers”, adding that her policies have “enhanced productivity, improved working conditions, and strengthened social dialogue.”
Key to this, they noted, is her open-door policy and constructive relationship with labour unions — a departure from the confrontational posture often associated with public-sector management.
For NIMC, the award signals both recognition and responsibility.
It affirms a turnaround already underway and sets expectations for sustained reform.
For the DG, it reinforces a leadership philosophy built on empowerment, welfare, and modernisation.
And for the staff, it represents a validation of long-awaited changes finally taking root.
As NIMC pushes deeper into digital identity expansion and national data optimisation, the spotlight and the pressure will intensify. But for now, the message from Nigeria’s senior civil service is clear:
Coker-Odusote’s reforms are working. And the nation has taken notice.
