President Bola Tinubu has praised the outgoing Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, for her role in efforts to reform and modernise Nigeria’s Federal Civil Service.
The president delivered the commendation in Abuja on Tuesday during the presentation of Walson-Jack’s two memoirs, I Planted: A Memoir of Purposeful Service and Beyond the Mandate: A Memoir on Leadership, Legacy and Labour of Public Service.
Tinubu was represented at the ceremony by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh.
A Career Built Across State and Federal Service
Tinubu described Walson-Jack as an accomplished civil servant whose career spanned both state and federal institutions before she reached the highest administrative position in Nigeria.
The president said the publication of the books offered an opportunity to recognise not only her retirement after 34 years in public service but also her emphasis on institution-building, leadership and creating systems that can outlast individual office holders.
According to Tinubu, effective public service should be measured not only by what an official accomplishes during their tenure but also by the strength of the institutions they leave behind.
President Highlights Civil Service Reforms
Tinubu said Walson-Jack entered the office of Head of the Civil Service with an understanding that Nigeria’s bureaucracy needed to keep changing to respond to a rapidly developing country and increasingly complicated global environment.
He said the Federal Civil Service remained central to the implementation of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda because government policies, programmes and projects depend heavily on the machinery of the public service.
The president stressed that his administration was therefore focused on transforming the service from routine administration towards purposeful delivery, with greater emphasis on measurable results.
Digital Transformation Takes Centre Stage
The president identified the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2020-2025 and its successor, the 2026-2030 strategy, as key elements of the government’s reform programme.
Digital transformation, he said, was also becoming increasingly important to the way government operates.
Tinubu specifically praised the continued integration of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System with human resource management platforms, arguing that such measures could improve payroll integrity, strengthen personnel administration and increase accountability.
He called for digital reforms to be expanded throughout the wider public sector so government can become more efficient, data-driven and responsive to citizens.
Tinubu Connects The Books To Leadership
The president said the titles of Walson-Jack’s books reflected the philosophy that guided her career.
He interpreted I Planted as a reference to the willingness to invest in people, ideas and institutions whose benefits may not become immediately visible to those responsible for creating them.
Beyond the Mandate, he said, represented leadership that goes beyond the strict boundaries of an official position and seeks to leave institutions stronger for those who eventually inherit them.
Jonathan Recalls Walson-Jack’s Early Career
Former President Goodluck Jonathan also paid tribute to Walson-Jack, congratulating her on becoming the first person from Bayelsa State to occupy the position of Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
Jonathan recalled her transition from the Bayelsa State Civil Service to the federal establishment and said the difficulties she encountered during that period ultimately helped prepare her for greater responsibilities.
He remembered that Walson-Jack was initially offered an assistant director position when she transferred to the Federal Civil Service, a move that could have appeared like a step backwards.
Jonathan said he encouraged her to accept the opportunity, which eventually became an important stage in her rise through the federal bureaucracy.
Jonathan Warns Against Compromising Merit
The former president used the occasion to stress the importance of merit and integrity in public administration.
Drawing on the example of Singapore under former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Jonathan argued that countries cannot make sustainable progress if they abandon merit in favour of placing unsuitable people in important positions.
He said having the right people in the right roles was essential to building effective public institutions.
Diri Describes Memoir As Institutional Record
Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, who served as the chief presenter of I Planted, said the memoir was more than a personal account of a successful career.
He described it as a record of Walson-Jack’s 34 years in public service and the sacrifices she made while working at both state and federal levels.
Diri said the challenges Walson-Jack encountered throughout her career did not defeat her.
Instead, he argued, those experiences helped shape her into the public servant who eventually reached the highest level of Nigeria’s civil service.
Preserving Public Sector Memory
Diri also highlighted the importance of documenting experiences within Nigeria’s public institutions.
He said the memoir could help address the country’s longstanding difficulty with preserving institutional records and knowledge.
For Diri, recording Walson-Jack’s experiences was an act of patriotism because the lessons contained in the books could benefit researchers, future civil servants, Bayelsa State and the wider Nigerian public.
He said the title I Planted accurately represented Walson-Jack’s approach of investing in people and institutions without necessarily seeking personal recognition for the results.
Walson-Jack Explains Why She Wrote The Books
Walson-Jack said the launch formed part of activities marking her retirement and the conclusion of a 34-year career in public service.
She began her professional journey as a young state counsel at the Rivers State Ministry of Justice in 1992 and subsequently occupied several positions before becoming Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
The retiring civil servant stressed that her books were not written simply to celebrate herself.
Instead, she said she wanted to document her experiences, observations and lessons from a system she had served for more than three decades, including its opportunities, frustrations and reform efforts.
Planting Ideas Without Seeking Credit
Explaining the philosophy behind I Planted, Walson-Jack said she believed in developing ideas, institutions and people and allowing them to grow without constantly seeking recognition for the outcome.
She said the memoirs were intended to provide useful lessons for public servants, students, researchers and others interested in governance and public administration.
The books therefore serve both as a personal account and as an attempt to preserve knowledge that might otherwise disappear when public officials leave office.
Retirement Marks A New Chapter
Walson-Jack, who is due to turn 60 on August 27, said the occasion represented both the end of her formal public service career and an opportunity to reflect on the journey that began more than three decades ago.
She thanked her family, publishers, researchers, editors, reviewers and supporters who helped bring the books to publication.
The former civil service chief encouraged Nigerians to read the memoirs and consider their broader lessons about leadership, institutional development and the importance of preserving the experiences of public servants.
A Gathering Of Public Figures And Leaders
The book presentation attracted senior government officials, former public office holders, members of the diplomatic community, traditional rulers, political leaders, business figures, serving civil servants, family members and friends.
The gathering provided an opportunity for colleagues and political leaders to reflect on Walson-Jack’s career while highlighting the wider debate over public-sector reform and institutional continuity in Nigeria.
What Happens Next?
With Walson-Jack’s retirement marking the end of her 34-year career, attention will shift to the next phase of leadership within Nigeria’s federal civil service.
Her memoirs are also likely to remain a reference point for discussions about administrative reform, institutional memory, digital transformation and the role of senior civil servants in shaping government policy implementation.
Summary
President Bola Tinubu has commended Didi Walson-Jack for her contribution to reforming and repositioning Nigeria’s Federal Civil Service as she prepares to retire after 34 years.
At the Abuja book presentation, Tinubu highlighted digital transformation, stronger personnel management and the need for a more results-driven bureaucracy.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan praised Walson-Jack’s career progression and stressed the importance of merit and integrity.
Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri described her memoir as an important contribution to Nigeria’s institutional memory, while Walson-Jack said she wrote the books to honestly document her experiences and lessons from decades in public service.
Her retirement marks the close of a long government career, but the two books are intended to preserve the ideas, experiences and lessons she believes can continue serving future generations.
