The Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Dasuki Arabi, has said all federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in Nigeria have fully transitioned from manual payment systems to digital platforms.
Arabi made the disclosure in Abuja on Monday while briefing journalists during a New Year engagement focused on the bureau’s reform performance. He said federal government transactions, including payments for contracts and services, are now carried out entirely through digitised public financial management systems.
According to him, the reforms have eliminated the use of cash, paper and handwritten processes, significantly improving transparency and accountability in the management of public funds. He explained that digitisation has made it easier for citizens and oversight institutions to track fund releases, utilisation and beneficiaries.
Arabi said the BPSR, established in 2004, serves as the coordinating body for public service reforms, working under the National Strategy on Public Service Reforms, which provides a framework for reform initiatives across government institutions.
He noted that part of the bureau’s mandate includes strengthening institutional performance by setting benchmarks for MDAs, particularly in areas such as online presence, service delivery and citizen engagement. As part of this effort, the bureau developed a scorecard to assess MDA websites and worked with other agencies to standardise government web platforms.
He said MDAs are required to maintain functional websites with interactive portals that enable citizens to access information, submit Freedom of Information requests and receive feedback.
Arabi also disclosed that the bureau collaborated with anti-corruption agencies and civil society groups to develop a Transparency and Integrity Index to evaluate MDA compliance with procurement and recruitment disclosure requirements.
He linked the bureau’s reform efforts to major initiatives such as the Treasury Single Account (TSA), which allows government to monitor inflows and expenditures in real time, and the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), which he said has helped curb the problem of ghost workers. Compliance with payroll reforms, he added, stands at nearly 100 per cent.
On digital governance, Arabi said Nigeria now has an e-government master plan, alongside policies guiding the adoption of technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain in public service delivery.
However, he identified limited participation by state governments as a key challenge, noting that only Lagos, Ogun, Gombe and Kaduna states have established formal public service reform bureaus.
He said the bureau plans to host a national citizens’ experience conference in June 2026 and launch an online repository of public service reforms before the end of the same year, while calling for increased funding to strengthen its operations.
