Department Overview
The Special Duties (SD) Department was established on 11th March 2014 by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, particularly to assist in the actualisation of the mandate and functions of the Office of the Permanent Secretary. The Department coordinates and supervises the Special Intervention Programmes and Constituency Projects of the Ministry, including overseeing the activities of the Public Private Partnership Division, Non-Governmental Organisations Division, Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit, Stock Verification Unit, and Protocol Unit.
The Department also assists the Permanent Secretary to discharge the duties of the office by providing line supervision and general management of all staff under the Office of the Permanent Secretary, as well as the maintenance of administrative procedures in the Ministry. The Department is headed by the Director, Special Duties, and assisted by Deputy Directors, Assistant Directors, and other key officers.
Our Vision
To drive excellence, transparency, and accountability in education through strategic partnerships.
Our Mission
Foster innovative strategic partnerships, investments, and mobilise resources, upholding due process and transparency, in achieving inclusive, high-quality, and globally competitive education delivery.
Mandate
To provide strategic support, coordination, and oversight for the effective execution of leadership priorities, special projects, and stakeholder engagements within the Ministry.
To deliver on this mandate, the Department:
- Facilitates strategic partnerships, strengthening and expanding public-private partnerships and donor collaborations to mobilise resources and expertise for education development
- Promotes stakeholder engagement, building and maintaining effective relationships with national and international investors, agencies, and development partners
- Ensures efficient representation of the Ministry, credibly and effectively, in cross-governmental, inter-agency, and international fora
- Enhances transparency and accountability through robust systems for transparent administration and tracking of partnership contributions and activities
- Drives innovation in service delivery, piloting and supporting innovative approaches to educational challenges through strategic collaborations
- Supports Ministry priorities, aligning all departmental initiatives with the Ministry’s overarching goals of inclusive, high-quality, and globally competitive education
Core Functions
Guided by the values of Timeliness, Transparency, Accessibility, Partnership, Inclusive Engagement, and Efficiency in service delivery, the Department’s core functions include:
- Assisting the Permanent Secretary to provide line supervision and general management to all staff in the Office of the Permanent Secretary
- Executing assigned projects for the Honourable Minister, Honourable Minister of State, and the Permanent Secretary
- Assisting on behalf of the Permanent Secretary in the coordination of the Public Private Partnership Unit
- Managing assigned direct reporting units on behalf of the Permanent Secretary, including the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit, Protocol, and Stock Verification
- Assisting the Permanent Secretary, as required, to formulate and articulate the leadership agenda for the Ministry
- Providing secretariat services to high-level meetings of the Permanent Secretary
- Coordinating the daily briefing sessions of the Permanent Secretary’s official schedule
- Representing the Permanent Secretary in certain functions
- Overseeing the coordination of Special Intervention and Constituency projects
- Liaising with the National Assembly on behalf of the Ministry
Leadership
DIRECTOR
Mr. Murtala Alhaji Tanko
Mr. Murtala Alhaji Tanko is a seasoned public administrator and Director in the Federal Civil Service of Nigeria, currently serving as Director, Special Duties, in the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education.
He holds a Bachelor of Education, and has further strengthened his professional competence with an Advanced Certificate in Management, a Postgraduate Diploma in Management, a Diploma in Computer Information Management, and a Master of Business Administration.
Mr. Tanko began his public service career with the Yobe State Primary Education Board as an Assistant Education Secretary, rising through the ranks. In 2001, he joined the Federal Civil Service as a Senior Administrative Officer under the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation. Over the years, he has served in several Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, including the Federal Capital Territory Administration, the Utilities Charges Commission, the Presidency, the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs (where he rose to Assistant Director), the Federal Ministry of Transportation, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (as Deputy Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, Investment Promotion Department), and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment (as Director, Policy Analysis, Research and Statistics).
In December 2025, he was deployed to the Federal Ministry of Education as Director, Special Duties, Office of the Permanent Secretary. With over three decades of distinguished service, Mr. Tanko has built extensive experience in public administration, policy analysis, monitoring and evaluation, investment promotion, transportation administration, police affairs, education administration, and strategic management.
He is a Doctoral Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Human Resource Management, and is married with children.
Organizational Structure
- Public Private Partnership (PPP);
- Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)
- Anti-Corruption/ Transparency Unit (ACTU)
- Stock Verification Unit (SVU) and
- Protocol Unit.
Accordingly, the department which is headed by the Director of Special Duties assists the Permanent Secretary in carrying out his duties, such as representing the PSE, HME, and HMSE at events and chairing meetings on their behalf on directives.
Divisions: Public Private Partnership (PPP)
Branches:
Key Functions:
Liaises with the organised private sector to develop and sustain PPP infrastructure and services for an education system that meets national development objectives.
Coordinates and oversees PPP projects, and facilitates PPP projects, programmes, and other partnerships across institutions, parastatals, and agencies in the education sector.
Divisions: Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)
Branches:
Key Functions:
Interfaces between the Ministry and collaborating NGOs, Community-Based Organisations, Faith-Based Organisations, international NGOs, and development partners intervening in the education sector, as well as education experts and professionals in the diaspora, for the successful implementation of the National Policy on Education.
Division: Anti-Corruption/ Transparency Unit (ACTU)
Branches:
Key Functions:
- Established under the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission Act as one of its implementation mechanisms.
- Prohibits and prevents corruption, ensuring compliance with set standards by all institutions, parastatals, and agencies in the education sector.
Division: Stock Verification Unit (SVU)
Branches:
Key Functions:
Provides complete and continuous verification of stock records, plants, and allocated and unallocated stores receivables, where applicable, at the Headquarters, Federal Education Quality Assurance Service zonal offices, and Federal Unity Colleges, to ensure that facilities within government premises are monitored and maintained.
Division: Protocol Unit
Branches:
Key Functions:
Provides a wide range of protocol services, including the procurement and renewal of all classes of international passports and other travel documents for the Honourable Minister of Education, Honourable Minister of State for Education, Permanent Secretary, Directors, and other members of staff of the Ministry and its agencies.
Also handles consular duties for the Ministry and its supervised agencies.
Key Services
- Performance Management, Monitoring and Reporting
- Stakeholders Participation
- Prospects for the New Medium Term Plan (2026-2030)
Key Programmes / Projects
- Monitoring, coordination and supervision of Special Intervention Programmes and Constituency Projects
- Public private partnership awareness and sensitisation
- Annual Public Private Partnership Stakeholders Forum
- Public private partnership project development and monitoring
- Training courses on public private partnerships
- Post-monitoring of public private partnership projects
- Annual Summit for Non-Governmental Organisations
- Pre-registration and post-registration visits to non-governmental organisations intervening in the education sector
- Training on strategic monitoring and evaluation of the impact of non-governmental organisation programmes and activities in the education sector
- Development of guidelines for collaboration with non-governmental organisations and internally displaced persons
- Stakeholder engagement on enhancing the activities of the Anti-Corruption Unit
- System checks in Ministry Headquarters, parastatals, Federal Unity Colleges and tertiary institutions
- Enlightenment and sensitisation on public sector transparency and accountability
- International and regional integration programmes, including the Africa Protocol and Diplomacy Conference
- Professional development workshops for protocol staff on international best practice
- International Protocol Conference, combined with protocol facilitation, passenger support service, and travel logistics workshops
- Inventory control of government assets, furniture and equipment across the Ministry Headquarters and the Federal Unity Colleges
- Design and production of stock verification materials
- Verification and checking of stores activities in the Federal Unity Colleges
Achievements
- Establishment of an Internal Guide on Public Private Partnership for the education sector
- Federal Executive Council approval for the ongoing National Education Repository Data Bank Project
- Federal Executive Council approval for the development of thirteen critical infrastructures at the National Commission for Adult and Non-Formal Education Kano centre, under a public private partnership land swap arrangement
- Establishment of Anti-Corruption and Transparency clubs in Federal Unity Colleges in the South East and South West geo-political zones
- Registration of non-governmental organisations collaborating with the education sector
- Processing of passports, visas and notes verbale for the Ministry
Images & Media
Contact Information
Main Office: Special Duties Department, Federal Ministry of Education, Federal Secretariat, Shehu Shagari Way Abuja, Nigeria P.M.B 146, Garki
- Email:
- Phone: