By Fatima Saka
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, has announced that over 90 percent of the ministry’s staff have been successfully onboarded onto the Target Setting System (TSS) under the Federal Civil Service’s Performance Management System (PMS), a major civil service reform aimed at boosting productivity, transparency, and accountability.
Alake made this known in Abuja on Tuesday when he received the 36 Heads of Service of the Federation, including that of the FCT, on a study visit to evaluate the implementation of the PMS in the ministry.
The Performance Management System (PMS), which replaces the outdated Annual Performance Evaluation Report (APER), is part of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 (FCSSIP 25) and is intended to modernise staff evaluation and service delivery in Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
According to the minister, the TSS platform has greatly enhanced operational efficiency by enabling the digital registration, training, and real-time performance tracking of staff based on clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These KPIs, he said, are strategically aligned with national development goals.
“This digital shift has driven tremendous improvements,” Alake noted. “From just ₦6 billion in August 2023, our revenue rose to ₦38 billion in 2024, largely due to digitisation, improved licensing processes, and stricter monitoring.”
He highlighted other reforms including aggressive investment promotion campaigns and the sanitisation of the ministry’s operating environment, which have attracted renewed investor interest and curbed revenue leakages.
“As the world moves away from fossil fuels towards green energy, Nigeria’s solid minerals—if fully tapped—could generate more income than oil,” Alake added.
He also emphasized that aligning individual staff goals with the ministry’s strategic objectives through PMS has strengthened institutional performance and governance.
The ministry has also rolled out staff sensitisation and regulatory compliance programmes to deepen ownership of ongoing reforms, alongside enhanced monitoring, supervision, and feedback mechanisms.
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In response, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Didi Walson-Jack—represented by Mrs Patience Oyekunle, Permanent Secretary of the Service Welfare Office—commended Alake for his openness and commitment to implementing the PMS.
She noted that the solid minerals ministry’s experience offers a model for successful integration of digital tools in civil service reform.
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