President Bola Tinubu has commended Didi Walson-Jack, head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), for her contributions to reforming and repositioning the federal civil service.

Mr Tinubu gave the commendation on Tuesday in Abuja at the presentation of Ms Walson-Jack’s two books, I Planted: A Memoir of Purposeful Service and Beyond the Mandate: A Memoir on Leadership, Legacy and Labour of Public Service.

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh, represented the president at the event.

He described Ms Walson-Jack as a distinguished public servant who had served at both the state and federal levels and risen to the highest bureaucratic position in the country.

He said the books were an opportunity to celebrate not only Ms Walson-Jack’s retirement after 34 years of service but also her commitment to institution-building and purposeful leadership.

According to him, Ms Walson-Jack understands that public service is not only about what is achieved while in office but also about what is left behind for succeeding generations.

“I have watched with admiration her efforts to reposition the Federal Civil Service as a more responsive and result-oriented institution.

“She came into the office of Head of the Civil Service of the Federation with a clear understanding that the civil service must continuously evolve if it is to meet the demands of a rapidly changing Nigeria and an increasingly complex world,” Mr Tinubu said.

He said the federal civil service remained indispensable to implementing the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda because much of the government’s policies, programmes and projects passed through its machinery.

The president said his administration was committed to strengthening the service through reforms aimed at moving it from routine administration to purposeful delivery and from activity-based processes to measurable outcomes.

He noted that implementing the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2020-2025 and its successor, the 2026-2030 strategy, as well as digital transformation initiatives, were key components of the reform agenda.

Mr Tinubu particularly commended the continued integration of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) with human resource management systems, saying the reforms would strengthen payroll integrity, improve human resource management and promote accountability.

He urged the federal civil service to extend digital reforms across the wider public sector to ensure a more efficient, data-driven and citizen-focused government.

The president said the titles of the two books aptly reflected Ms Walson-Jack’s philosophy of public service.

He explained that the book, ‘I Planted’, represented the willingness to invest in institutions, ideas, and people whose full benefits might not be enjoyed immediately by those who planted them.

He said ‘Beyond the Mandate’, on the other hand, represented leadership that went beyond formal responsibilities and focused on leaving institutions stronger and better prepared for the future.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, who also spoke at the event, congratulated Ms Walson-Jack on her appointment as the first person from Bayelsa to become head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

Mr Jonathan described her career progression from the state civil service to the federal service as showing that difficult experiences can prepare people for greater opportunities.

He recalled that Ms Walson-Jack was initially offered the position of assistant director when she transferred from the Bayelsa State civil service to the federal civil service.

The former president said he had encouraged her to accept the offer, despite the apparent setback, noting that the decision eventually paved the way for her rise to the highest levels of the federal civil service.

Mr Jonathan also stressed the importance of merit and integrity in public administration, citing Singapore’s experience under former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

“If you compromise merit, then you can’t go anywhere. You must use the right people for the right things,” he said.

Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, who served as chief presenter of ‘I Planted’, said the book provided an important record of Ms Walson-Jack’s 34 years of public service and the sacrifices involved in serving in Bayelsa and at the federal level.

Mr Diri said Ms Walson-Jack’s journey demonstrated that the hardships she encountered in public service did not break her but helped to shape her career.

He described the memoir as an important contribution to preserving institutional memory, particularly in a country where record-keeping had remained a challenge.

According to him, documenting her experiences was an act of patriotism because the record would serve not only Ms Walson-Jack and Bayelsa but the country at large.

Mr Diri said the title ‘I Planted’ aptly captured Ms Walson-Jack’s philosophy of investing in institutions and people for the benefit of generations yet unborn.

“Didi Walson-Jack planted; the seed has been watered, but God has seen her all through from Bayelsa to the pinnacle of the federal civil service,” he said.

In her remarks, Ms Walson-Jack said the presentation of the two books was part of activities marking her retirement and repositioning after 34 years of service to Nigeria.

She said she began her career as a young state counsel in the Rivers State Ministry of Justice in 1992 and served in various capacities before becoming head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

She said the books were written to document her experiences, lessons and observations about public administration, rather than to flatter herself.

“I did not set out to write a book that flatters me. I set out to place on record my own account of the system I have had the honour of serving, its opportunities, its frustrations, its reforms and the lessons I gathered along the way,” she said.

Ms Walson-Jack said ‘I Planted’ was based on her philosophy of planting ideas, institutions and people, trusting them to grow and moving on to the next assignment without seeking personal credit.

She said the books were also intended to encourage public servants, students, researchers and others interested in governance to learn from her experiences.

She thanked her family, editorial and research team, publishers, reviewers and endorsers for their contributions to publishing the books.

Ms Walson-Jack, who will turn 60 on August 27, said the occasion marked both her retirement from public service and the documentation of a 34-year career.

She urged Nigerians to read the books and reflect on the lessons they contained, particularly on purposeful leadership, institutional development and the importance of preserving public-sector experience.

The event was attended by senior government officials, former public office holders, members of the diplomatic community, traditional and political leaders, captains of industry, public servants, family members, friends and well-wishers. 

(NAN)