Former President Goodluck Jonathan has called for the harmonisation of structures and salary scales across Nigeria’s Federal and State civil services, arguing that public servants performing similar responsibilities should enjoy comparable career progression and remuneration.
Jonathan made the call on Friday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, during the foundation-laying and fundraising ceremony for the secretariat complex of the Bayelsa State Association of Retired Permanent Secretaries.
The former president said Nigeria’s civil service should be viewed as one public service, regardless of whether an officer works for the Federal Government or a state administration.
He questioned why officers performing similar duties should be placed on different grade levels or receive substantially different remuneration solely because they work at different levels of government.
Jonathan specifically recalled reforms he introduced while serving as governor of Bayelsa State. According to him, directors in the state civil service previously retired at Grade Level 16, while their counterparts in the Federal Civil Service were on Grade Level 17.
He said his administration subsequently restructured the state service to introduce Grade Level 17 for directors, bringing their career status closer to that of federal directors.
The former president extended the argument beyond the civil service, saying similar principles should apply in other public institutions.
He cited the university system as an example, questioning why professors performing comparable academic functions should receive different salaries depending on whether they teach in federal or state-owned universities.
Jonathan’s proposal comes amid continuing discussions about public-sector wages, career progression and disparities in working conditions across Nigeria’s different tiers of government.
Nigeria operates a federal system in which the Federal Government and state governments maintain separate public services. While national frameworks influence public-sector administration, individual governments have responsibilities for their respective workforces, meaning salaries and conditions of service can vary.
At the Yenagoa event, Jonathan also commended retired permanent secretaries in Bayelsa for initiating the proposed secretariat complex. He said the project could serve not only retired public officials but also contribute to the wider public interest by preserving the experience and institutional knowledge accumulated during their careers.
The Bayelsa State Government, represented at the event by the Head of Service, Ebiye Sawyer, pledged its support for the project and praised the retired officials for their initiative.
Earlier, the chairman of the Bayelsa State Association of Retired Permanent Secretaries, King Collins Ebi Daniel, described the proposed facility as an institutional project designed to preserve the legacy of public service.
According to him, the complex will contain administrative offices, conference facilities, event halls and recreational spaces. The project is estimated to cost N500 million and is expected to be completed within two years.
Jonathan’s call effectively places the issue of uniformity in public-sector career structures and remuneration back into the national conversation, particularly concerning workers who perform comparable duties at federal and state levels.
Whether such harmonisation could be implemented across Nigeria would require coordination between the Federal Government, state governments and relevant public-service institutions, as well as consideration of the different financial capacities and administrative responsibilities of the various governments.
