Walson-Jack Declares Bold Reform Era for Nigeria’s Civil Service: “It Is No Longer Business as Usual.
By Raymond Enoch
In a landmark declaration at the maiden International Civil Service Conference in Abuja, Nigeria’s Head of the Civil Service, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, OON announced a transformative era for the federal civil service, signaling an end to “business as usual” and ushering in a renewed commitment to innovation, accountability, and global standards.
Speaking before an international audience of governance experts, technocrats, and delegates from over a dozen countries, Walson-Jack called for a civil service that is prepared to “rejuvenate, innovate, and accelerate” in response to 21st-century challenges.
Key reforms under her leadership include:
A paperless Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) for efficient service delivery;
A Performance Management System that aligns civil servants’ KPIs with national goals;
Restructured training institutions geared toward digital skills and future-readiness.
“These are not pilot ideas,” she affirmed. “These are active deliverables signaling the new spirit of transformation within our public service.”
The conference, co-hosted with the Global Government Forum (UK), brought together participants from Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Singapore, and beyond to address critical governance themes such as:
Artificial intelligence in public service,
Climate-responsive administration,
Citizen-centered service delivery,
Agile leadership.
Renowned governance expert Dr. Joe Abah praised Walson-Jack’s vision but underscored the need for political will to sustain reform: “If the politicians do not want the civil service to work, it won’t—no matter how visionary the leadership.”
In her closing remarks, Walson-Jack urged younger civil servants to take ownership of the reform era:
“You are not the future of the civil service—you are its present.”
As global partnerships strengthen and reform initiatives advance, Nigeria’s civil service stands at the cusp of a defining transformation—one driven by excellence, integrity, and innovation.
