Tinubu Hails Walson-Jack’s Legacy, Says Civil Service Must Drive National Transformation

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commended the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, for her contributions to Nigeria’s public administration, describing her career as a testament to purposeful service, institutional leadership and conscious legacy-building.

Tinubu spoke in Abuja at the presentation of two books authored by Walson-Jack, Beyond the Mandate and I Planted, which documented her experiences, reflections and lessons from her years in public service.

The President, who was represented at the occasion by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, said Walson-Jack had earned a significant place in Nigeria’s public administration history through her service at both state and federal levels.

He said her rise to the position of Head of the Civil Service of the Federation reflected a career marked by breadth of experience, responsibility and institutional perspective.

According to him, the significance of the occasion went beyond the launch of two books, as it provided an opportunity to celebrate “a life of purposeful service, a career of institutional leadership, and a legacy being consciously built in the service of our nation.”

Tinubu noted that despite the enormous responsibilities associated with the office of Head of Service, Walson-Jack found the discipline and time to document her experiences for the benefit of present and future generations.

He said this demonstrated her understanding that public service was not only about what an individual accomplished while in office, but also about what was left behind for those who would take over.

The President said his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda was founded on the conviction that Nigeria could become a better nation, adding that the government had remained focused on reforming institutions, strengthening the economy, improving security and creating opportunities for young Nigerians.

He acknowledged that the reforms had required difficult decisions, but said the administration remained committed to making decisions that would benefit future generations.

Tinubu stressed that a professional, competent, ethical, innovative and citizen-centred public service was central to translating the Renewed Hope Agenda into tangible results.

He said the Nigerian Civil Service remained indispensable because of its principles of permanence, continuity, professionalism and institutional stability.

“Governments may change. Political leadership may change. Policies may evolve, but the machinery of government must retain the institutional memory, technical competence and discipline required to sustain the Nigerian state,” he said.

The President said most of the government’s policies and programmes must ultimately pass through the machinery of the civil service, from policy formulation and implementation to regulations, budgets and delivery of public services.

He described Walson-Jack as a reformer who understood that the civil service must continuously evolve to meet the demands of a rapidly changing Nigeria and an increasingly complex world.

According to him, her tenure had contributed to strengthening institutional continuity, technical expertise and the discipline required to translate government policies into implementable actions.

Tinubu said the administration’s public service reforms were designed to move the system from routine administration to purposeful delivery, from activities to outcomes and from processes to systems that provide better value for citizens.

He said the reforms also sought to develop future-ready talents capable of meeting the demands of modern governance.

The President cited the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021-2025 and the successor 2026-2030 Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan as part of the government’s reform efforts.

He also highlighted ongoing digital transformation, including the integration of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) with the Human Resource Management System (HRMS).

Tinubu said the initiative was critical to strengthening payroll integrity, improving human resource management, enhancing engagement and ensuring greater accountability in the management of public resources.

He urged the Federal Civil Service to extend the reforms across the wider public sector, stressing that digitalisation must remain a priority for a modern Nigerian public service.

“Our objective must be clear: a public service that is professional, competent, ethical, accountable, performance-driven and responsive to the needs of Nigerians,” he said.

Reflecting on the significance of the two books, Tinubu said I Planted represented the willingness to nurture ideas, values and institutions whose benefits might not necessarily be enjoyed immediately by those who established them.

He said Beyond the Mandate, on the other hand, spoke to leadership that went beyond the minimum requirements of office.

The President said Walson-Jack’s career illustrated the distinction between holding public office and building institutions that endure beyond an individual’s tenure.

“Holding office is temporary. Institutions endure. Titles come and go. What remains is the impact we make, the people we develop, the institutions we strengthen and the values we leave behind,” he said.

Tinubu urged public servants to ask not only what they had achieved personally, but what they had enabled others to achieve after them.

He also commended the movement towards outcome-based governance, noting that the requirement for ministers to regularly report progress on the implementation of the Renewed Hope Agenda was helping to create a culture in which government was increasingly judged by what it delivered rather than what it announced.

He said the Central Delivery Coordination Unit was helping government monitor such performance through its dashboard.

“As we build a more prosperous and inclusive Nigeria, we need a civil service that is not only capable of administering government, but capable of delivering results,” Tinubu said.

He charged public servants to regard competence as a duty, integrity as non-negotiable and innovation as a necessity, while placing service to Nigerians at the centre of public office.

According to him, the lessons contained in Walson-Jack’s books went beyond her personal story, serving as a reminder to thousands of public servants that their daily contributions mattered to national development.

“Every policy implemented properly matters. Every public institution strengthened matters. Every young officer mentored matters. Every process made more efficient matters. Every problem resolved matters. Every citizen whose experience of government is improved matters,” he said.

Tinubu congratulated Walson-Jack on the publication of the two books, commending her for documenting her experiences and lessons for present and future generations of public servants.

He said her work demonstrated that leadership was not merely about providing answers, but also about purpose, stewardship, sacrifice and legacy.

The President reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening the Federal Civil Service and providing the necessary support for its continued transformation into a modern, professional, competent and delivery-oriented institution.

He expressed the hope that Nigeria would ultimately have a civil service capable of standing among the best public services in the world.

“Our vision must be to build a civil service that Nigerians can trust, a federal civil service that businesses can rely upon, and a federal civil service that young Nigerians can aspire to join,” he said.

Tinubu concluded by thanking Walson-Jack for her service to the nation and expressed the hope that the “seeds” she had planted would continue to grow, while the institutions she helped strengthen would endure and her legacy of public service would inspire generations of Nigerians yet unborn.