Tinubu Lauds Walson-Jack’s Contributions To Service

President Bola Tinubu has described the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs Esther Walson-Jack’s contributions to service as a testament to purposeful service, institutional leadership and conscious legacy-building.

Tinubu made the remark on Tuesday at the presentation of two books authored by the HCSF: “Beyond the Mandate and I Planted”, which documented her experiences, reflections and lessons from her years in public service.

President Tinubu, who was represented 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 the President, 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.

Tinubu 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 added 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.

He 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.

Tinubu 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.

The President 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.

He 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.