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Jonathan: Integrity, meritocracy key to successful civil service
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Walson-Jack: My 34 years of service were about planting, nurturing institutions
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Her spouse urges end to lobbying in appointments
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye and Francis Onyedikachukwu, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has declared that the success of government must be measured by tangible results and improvements in the lives of citizens, rather than by the policies and programmes it announces.
The President said his administration was working to establish a culture of governance in which public officials would be held increasingly accountable for delivery, outcomes and measurable value to Nigerians.
Tinubu stated this in an address delivered on his behalf by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Ude, at the presentation of two books by the outgoing Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack — “I Planted: A Memoir of Purposeful Service” and “Beyond the Mandate: A Memoir on Leadership, Legacy and Labour of Public Service” — in Abuja.
The President said the transformation of Nigeria required a public service capable of moving beyond routine administration to purposeful delivery.
“The requirement for ministers to report regularly on progress in implementing the Renewed Hope Agenda is an important part of creating a culture in which governance is increasingly judged not merely by what it announces but by what it delivers,” Tinubu said.
He disclosed that he occasionally reviewed the dashboard of the Central Delivery Coordination Unit to monitor the performance of ministries and the implementation of government programmes without necessarily having to call ministers.
“I want to say that I occasionally look at the dashboard of the Central Delivery Coordination Unit to get this information without having to call any minister,” he said.
Tinubu said this approach reflected the direction in which his administration intended to take governance, stressing that the civil service must become an engine of delivery rather than a system primarily focused on processes.
“This is the direction in which we must continue,” he said.
The President said Nigeria needed a civil service capable not only of administering government but also of implementing reforms, delivering results and sustaining national development.
He said: “We need public servants who understand that competence is a duty, integrity is non-negotiable, innovation is a necessity, and serving Nigerian people is the ultimate purpose of public office.”
According to him, the Renewed Hope Agenda was not merely a political declaration but a programme of transformation requiring institutions that could effectively translate policies into action.
“Our reforms in governance and the public service are therefore designed to change the way government works, to move from routine administration to purposeful delivery, from activity to outcomes, from processes that merely consume time to systems that produce measurable value for citizens,” Tinubu said.
The President identified digitalisation as a critical component of this transformation, urging the Federal Civil Service to extend its digital reforms across the wider public sector.
“Digitalisation must continue to be a defining feature of the modern Nigerian Public Service,” he said, insisting that “no institution is left behind in this transition to a more efficient, data-driven and citizen-focused government.”
Tinubu also linked effective service delivery to the professionalism and institutional continuity of the civil service, noting that political leadership could change while the machinery of government must retain the competence and institutional memory needed to sustain the Nigerian state.
“Governments may change. Political leadership may change. Policies may evolve. But the machinery of government must retain the institutional memory, technical competence and professional discipline required to sustain the Nigerian state,” he said.
He commended Walson-Jack for her contribution to repositioning the Federal Civil Service and described her as a reformer who understood that public administration must continuously evolve.
“I did not have to preach reform to her,” Tinubu said. “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.”
Former President Goodluck Jonathan, who attended the event alongside his wife, Patience, commended Tinubu for appointing Walson-Jack as Head of Service, describing her appointment as a landmark for Bayelsa State.
Jonathan said she became the first Bayelsan to occupy the position, stressing that her career demonstrated how perseverance could turn difficult circumstances into opportunities.
He recalled that when Walson-Jack moved from the state to the Federal Civil Service, she was initially offered a position below the level she had attained in the state service.
“Very demoralising,” Jonathan recalled, adding that he encouraged her to accept the offer.
“I said, come over as Assistant Director, you will not regret it. It’s better you come and go through and become a Federal Permanent Secretary and retire as a Federal Permanent Secretary, instead of retiring as a State Permanent Secretary,” he said.
Jonathan said Walson-Jack’s eventual rise beyond the level he had envisaged demonstrated that difficult experiences could sometimes be preparation for greater responsibilities.
“Sometimes when you have some limitations in your life, some experiences, that appear not very comfortable, God is preparing you for something bigger,” he said.
The former President also used the occasion to call for greater emphasis on integrity and meritocracy in public administration and leadership.
“For every nation, every state, even in social life, the civil service of the state, if integrity and merit is not considered, especially leadership of a country, if you compromise merit, then you cannot go anywhere,” Jonathan said.
“You must use the right people for the right thing.”
Using an analogy from biology, Jonathan said assigning responsibilities without regard to competence would undermine institutional performance.
“A cat feeds on other animals, what we call carnivorous animals. A dog also feeds on other animals. A lion also feeds on other animals. But if you give the job of a lion to a cat, you cannot perform,” he said.
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“So you must give the job of a lion to a lion, and the job of a cat to a cat.”
In her remarks, Walson-Jack said the books were her attempt to document her 34-year journey in public service, including its successes, frustrations, reforms and lessons.
“34 years is a long time to be entrusted with the people’s business,” she said.
“It is long enough to plant things, institutions, systems, people, and to watch some of them grow taller than you. It is also long enough to make mistakes, to learn, to be humbled, and on the good days, to be useful.”
She said she deliberately avoided writing a book designed to flatter herself, choosing instead to provide an insider’s account of public administration.
“I did not set out to write a book that flatters me. I set out to place on record my own account of a system I have had the honour and privilege of serving,” she said.
Walson-Jack said her philosophy had always been to plant, nurture and move on without necessarily seeking personal credit for institutional achievements.
“I planted, I believed, and I moved on. I did not chase credits for the institutions I helped to build, the offices I helped to reform, all the young officers I tried to mentor along the way,” she said.
She urged readers, especially civil servants and young people aspiring to careers in government, to learn from the experiences documented in the books.
“Today, I simply invite you to come and see some of what grew,” she said.
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, represented by his Deputy, Ngozi Odu, described Beyond the Mandate as a compelling account of more than three decades of public service.
He said the book documented Walson-Jack’s journey from the Rivers State Civil Service through leadership positions in the Federal Civil Service and ultimately to the office of Head of Service.
“The book is not merely a record of offices occupied or positions held; it is a reflection on the meaning of leadership, integrity, institutional reform, human-centred governance, and the responsibility to lead institutions stronger than one found them,” he said.
He highlighted her emphasis on dialogue and industrial harmony, as well as her work in the Niger Delta and other federal ministries.
The representative said Walson-Jack’s legacy included initiatives aimed at improving institutional continuity and ensuring that projects were properly executed.
“Today we celebrate Mrs. Didi for all her legacies, the introductions, the number of transformational ideas she left behind,” he said.
“She will be remembered long after she’s left office for all her introductions and her hard work.”
The event marked the final days of Walson-Jack’s tenure as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. President Tinubu has appointed Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan as her successor, effective August 27, with a mandate to consolidate ongoing reforms and deepen professionalism, efficiency and results-oriented governance in the service.
Former Bayelsa State Governor and Senator representing Bayelsa West, Seriake Dickson, described Walson-Jack’s career as a testament to purposeful service, resilience and institutional leadership.
Dickson, who presented I Planted, said the title captured the philosophy that had defined Walson-Jack’s public service career.
“Today is one of those very rare occasions. We are gathered here to honour a woman who has done herself, her family, and our state, and indeed our country proud,” he said.
He said Walson-Jack had planted the seeds of institutional development at different stages of her career, adding that many of those efforts had continued to produce results beyond her immediate tenure.
“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,” Dickson said.
He described her as “measured, graceful, principled, and deeply rooted,” noting that her memoir documented not just personal achievements but the development of institutions she had served.
According to Dickson, Walson-Jack’s career showed that public service should be about building institutions that could outlive the individuals who established them.
“The memoir is especially relevant at a time when commitment, hard work, and diligence appear increasingly difficult to sustain within the public service,” he said.
“It offers a timely reminder that public service should be measured not by visibility or personal recognition, but by the quality of what one contributes to the institution.”
Dickson also thanked President Tinubu for appointing Walson-Jack as Head of Service.
“Today she is living very strong, and we cannot, as a state, keep quiet about the very good action and the very good deeds of bringing out our daughter to Nigeria and indeed to the world,” he said.
The spouse of the outgoing Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Nimi Walson-Jack, has called for an end to lobbying in the appointment of senior public servants, urging the Federal Government to sustain the tradition of selecting competent officials on merit.
He commended President Tinubu for appointing his wife as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation without lobbying or personal influence. He urged the administration to sustain the practice in future appointments, particularly as the incoming Head of Service assumes office. “We pray that this tradition of excellence, which has even continued in the appointment of the incoming Head of the Civil Service, will be followed so that the tradition and custom of the Federal Civil Service will be maintained and lobbying will have no place in appointments,” he said. “Once more, thank you. We are grateful. We owe you.”
