Follow Us on Google
• Tinubu, Akpabio, Abbas, govs, others for Abuja launch
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, is set to open a window into more than three decades of Nigeria’s public service with the presentation of two memoirs in Abuja on Tuesday.
The books, ‘I Planted: A Memoir of Purposeful Service and Beyond the Mandate: A Memoir on Leadership, Legacy, & Labour of Public Service’, are expected to chronicle the opportunities, challenges, reforms and lessons that shaped Walson-Jack’s career from the state civil service to the highest administrative office in the Federal Civil Service.
The presentation comes as Walson-Jack approaches the end of her tenure as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and follows her recent call on journalists to intensify scrutiny of government institutions and hold the Civil Service accountable.
Speaking at a special interactive session with media correspondents and editors in Abuja, Walson-Jack challenged journalists covering the Federal Civil Service to go beyond official statements, interrogate policies and ask difficult questions.
“Of course, the responsibility of the media goes beyond reporting events or repeating official statements. You must ask difficult questions, seek clarification, interrogate issues and hold public institutions accountable,” she said.
The HCSF said some of the questions posed by journalists during her tenure had at times been more difficult than the reforms being implemented by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), but acknowledged that the scrutiny had helped the institution reflect and improve.
“Indeed, some of your questions have occasionally been more difficult than the reforms themselves! But those questions have also helped us to reflect, communicate more clearly and improve our work,” she said.
She stressed that strong institutions could not be built through praise alone, urging the media to sustain responsible, factual, balanced and constructive reporting of the Civil Service.
“Strong institutions are not built through praise alone. They are strengthened by constructive criticism, informed scrutiny and continuous engagement,” she said.
Walson-Jack said the media had helped to take the Federal Government’s Civil Service reform agenda beyond government offices through reports, interviews, features and analyses.
She cited coverage of the International Civil Service Conference in 2025 and 2026, the Paperless Civil Service initiative and her First 100 Days in Office press briefing as examples of media engagements that had helped Nigerians understand the transformation taking place within the Federal Civil Service.
She, however, urged journalists to continue interrogating the reform process, saying it remained a work in progress.
“As the Federal Civil Service continues its journey of reform, renewal and transformation, please sustain this tradition of responsible, factual, balanced and constructive journalism,” she said.
“Report our achievements truthfully, interrogate our challenges fairly and continue to help Nigerians understand the vital role of a professional, efficient, productive, ethical, incorruptible and citizen-centred Public Service.”
The two memoirs are expected to provide a more personal account of those reforms and the institutional challenges encountered during Walson-Jack’s career, while examining leadership, integrity, public administration and the realities of navigating Nigeria’s bureaucracy.
Other News
Walson-Jack began her career in the Rivers State Civil Service in 1992. Following the creation of Bayelsa State in 1996, she transferred to the new state’s civil service, where she rose to become Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice.
She subsequently served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief of Staff to the governor before joining the Federal Civil Service in 2009.
Her federal career culminated in her appointment as Permanent Secretary in 2017, during which she served across six ministries.
In August 2024, President Bola Tinubu appointed her Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, placing her at the helm of Nigeria’s federal administrative machinery.
The new books build on her earlier autobiography, Roses in the Thorns: An Autobiography, and offer another opportunity for her to document her experiences, convictions and lessons from a career spanning more than three decades.
The literary project also continues a family tradition. Her late father, Christian Atani Okpofaa Otobotekere, the Okun XIX and Amananaowei of Tombia, Bayelsa State, authored 14 books before his death in 2023.
Former Director-General of the Bureau for Public Service Reforms, Dr Joe Abah, is scheduled to review the books at the presentation.
The memoirs have also received endorsements from public policy analysts and business leaders, including Prof. Tunji Olaopa, George Etomi and Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede.
President Tinubu is among the dignitaries expected at the August 25 event, alongside Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, Dr Zacchaeus Adedeji.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, are also expected.
Governors of the 36 states, ministers, permanent secretaries, service chiefs and members of the diplomatic corps are expected to attend the event.
Walson-Jack, an Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) and Member of the National Institute (mni), is expected to use the occasion to reflect on the values, experiences and institutional lessons that have shaped her approach to leadership and public administration.
The memoir presentation, therefore, comes at a defining moment in her career: as she prepares to leave the apex administrative office in the Federal Civil Service, she is set to place on record her account of the system she has served for more than three decades, the reforms she championed, the challenges she encountered and the lessons she believes should endure beyond her tenure.
At her recent media engagement, she also urged journalists to ensure that the Civil Service remains under scrutiny after her departure.
“As I approach the end of my tenure, I look back on this relationship with great appreciation. I am confident that the partnership between the OHCSF and the media will endure and grow even stronger under my successors,” she said.
She concluded with a charge that could equally serve as a summary of the institutional philosophy behind her memoirs: “Please keep asking the important questions. Keep telling the full story. Keep holding the Federal Civil Service to the highest standards.”
