TINUBU COMMENDS WALSON-JACK’S LEGACY AT BOOK LAUNCH, TASKS CIVIL SERVICE ON RESULTS<\/p>\n
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday commended the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, HCSF, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, for her legacy of institution-building, as he charged the civil service to focus on delivering tangible results to Nigerians.<\/p>\n
Tinubu spoke at the public presentation of two memoirs authored by Walson-Jack, \u201cI Planted: A Memoir of Purposeful Service\u201d and \u201cBeyond the Mandate: A Memoir on Leadership, Legacy & Labour of Public Service\u201d. The event held at the Ladi Kwali Hall, Abuja Continental Hotel, marked the end of her 34-year career in public service.<\/p>\n
Represented by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, the President said the occasion was beyond a book launch, describing it as a celebration of \u201ca life of purposeful service, a career of institutional leadership, and a legacy being consciously built.”`<\/p>\n
\u201cHolding 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,\u201d Tinubu said.<\/p>\n
He noted that despite the demands of the office of Head of Service, Walson-Jack documented her experiences for present and future generations, demonstrating that public service is about what is left behind.<\/p>\n
The President highlighted that a professional, competent, ethical and citizen-centred civil service was critical to the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda. He stressed that government policies must ultimately pass through the civil service, from formulation to delivery.<\/p>\n
\u201cGovernments 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Tinubu described Walson-Jack as a reformer who understood that the civil service must evolve to meet the demands of a changing Nigeria. He said reforms under his administration were designed to move the service \u201cfrom routine administration to purposeful delivery, from activities to outcomes, and from processes to systems that provide better value for citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n
The President cited the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021-2025 and the successor 2026-2030 plan, as well as the ongoing integration of IPPIS with the Human Resource Management System, HRMS, as key steps to strengthen accountability and payroll integrity.<\/p>\n
\u201cDigitalisation must remain a priority for a modern Nigerian public service,\u201d he said, urging ministries to extend reforms across the wider public sector.<\/p>\n
Tinubu stated further that the requirement for ministers to report regularly on the Renewed Hope Agenda was creating a culture where government is judged by delivery, not announcements. He disclosed that he monitors performance through the dashboard of the Central Delivery Coordination Unit.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Tinubu concluded by urging public servants to treat competence as a duty, integrity as non-negotiable, and service to Nigerians as the ultimate purpose of public office.<\/p>\n
Former President Goodluck Jonathan, who attended with his wife, Patience, commended President Tinubu for appointing Walson-Jack as the first Bayelsan to serve as Head of Service and called for greater emphasis on merit and integrity in public appointments.<\/p>\n
He applauded her resilience and dogged determination to excel despite career setbacks, noting how she accepted a demotion from Permanent Secretary to Assistant Director when she moved to the federal service and rose steadily to the pinnacle of her career. He urged young officers to emulate her spirit of perseverance and humility in service<\/p>\n
In her remarks, Walson-Jack disclosed that the books documented her journey from a Youth Corper in Rivers State in 1992 to the peak of the federal civil service.<\/p>\n
\u201cThirty-four years is long enough to plant institutions, systems and people, and to watch some of them grow taller than you. It is also long enough to make mistakes, to learn, to be humbled,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The HCSF explained that \u201cI Planted\u201d captured her philosophy of building and mentoring, while \u201cBeyond the Mandate\u201d argued that \u201ca mandate should be regarded as a floor, not a ceiling.\u201d<\/p>\n
She clarified that the books do not cover her tenure as Head of Service. \u201cThat is a story that will be told at another day,\u201d Walson-Jack added<\/p>\n
Bayelsa Governor, Senator Douye Diri, who presented \u201cI Planted\u201d, and Rivers Deputy Governor, Dr. Ngozi Odu, who represented Governor Siminalayi Fubara, also praised Walson-Jack\u2019s contributions to institutional reform and labour relations.<\/p>\n
The event marked the final days of Walson-Jack\u2019s tenure as HCSF. President Tinubu has appointed Mr. Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan as her successor, effective August 27, with a mandate to consolidate reforms and deepen results-oriented governance.`<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TINUBU COMMENDS WALSON-JACK’S LEGACY AT BOOK LAUNCH, TASKS CIVIL SERVICE ON RESULTS President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday commended the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, HCSF, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, for her legacy of institution-building, as he charged the civil service to focus on delivering tangible results to Nigerians. Tinubu spoke at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":152086,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[1120,3365,267],"class_list":["post-152080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-others","tag-book-launch","tag-mrs-esther-walson-jack","tag-president-tinubu"],"yoast_head":"\n