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By Lawrence Agbo
The Federal Government has said Nigerians can now report complaints about public service delivery through various online portals as part of efforts to make governance more citizen-focused and improve accountability across ministries, departments, and agencies.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Esther Walson-Jack, disclosed this while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, explaining that the government has introduced multiple channels to allow citizens to directly engage with public institutions and raise concerns about poor service delivery.
According to her, the civil service has shifted its focus toward prioritising the needs of citizens, stressing that all government operations are ultimately designed to serve the public.
“We realised that all the work we do is for the citizens. So we are running a citizen-focused service,” she said.
She added that the administration has been working to ensure regular interaction between citizens and public institutions, noting that several digital platforms have been created where Nigerians can submit complaints and feedback regarding government services.
Walson-Jack also spoke on the ongoing digital transformation of the civil service, revealing that hard copy submissions are gradually being phased out as the government moves toward a fully paperless system.
She said many people who still arrive at government registries with physical documents are now being informed that only digital submissions are accepted.
“Many people who just didn’t believe that we were digitalised get to the registries in the ministry with their hard copies, and they are told, ‘We are sorry; we don’t accept hard copies anymore,’” she stated.
She further explained that the government is working toward eliminating paper usage entirely within the public service, adding that her office already operates without receiving physical documents.
“We are trying to make sure that we indeed are paperless. So, the first point of call is to ensure that we don’t receive paper anymore. In my office, we don’t receive any paper,” she said.
Although she admitted that the civil service has not fully reached its digitalisation target, Walson-Jack maintained that the reforms are progressing steadily.
“We aren’t where we want to be, but we are on the right track,” she added.
