The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has elevated 49 Deputy Directors to the rank of Director, following the approval of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike. The promotions move the officers from Grade Level 16 to 17, marking a major milestone in the Administration’s efforts to clear long-standing promotion arrears.
The promotions came after the successful conduct of the first-ever Computer-Based Test (CBT) promotion examination, held on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, at the National Open University, Duste-Alhaji Study Centre in Bwari Area Council. The exercise was designed to address the backlog of promotions for officers on Grade Level 16 between 2023 and 2025.
According to a statement issued Tuesday by Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the FCT Minister, the Chairman of the FCT Civil Service Commission, Emeka Eze, confirmed that the 49 newly promoted Directors will fill 49 of the 63 declared vacancies across various departments.
“Out of the 49 promoted, the Education Officer Cadre had the highest with 20, followed by the Accountant Cadre with nine,” Eze said. “While Civil Engineer, Social Welfare, Tourism, Fisheries, and Medical Officers Cadres each had one vacancy with one eligible officer, the Education Officer cadre had 820 eligible officers vying for 20 vacancies, while the Admin Cadre had 12 eligible officers for 10 vacancies.”
In line with the Minister’s directive to guarantee fairness and transparency, the Civil Service Commission adopted a fully technology-driven process for the conduct of the examination. This marked the first time the FCTA utilized the CBT model in promotions, a move officials say was aimed at eliminating undue influence and ensuring merit-based progression.
Explaining further, Olayinka noted that the Commission’s Board of Examiners pegged the pass mark at 60 percent, making the process strictly performance-based. “The Minister approved the Civil Service Commission’s request to adopt Computer Based Test methodology to reduce delays in result processing and to guarantee credibility of the process,” he said.
With this landmark exercise, the FCTA says it has not only cleared outstanding promotion arrears but also set a new standard for meritocracy and transparency in the nation’s civil service system.
