Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
President Bola Tinubu, Governors Duoye Diri and Siminalayi Fubara of Bayelsa and Rivers States, and Dr Zacchaeus Adedeji, Chairmanof the Nigeria Revenue Service, are among the dignitaries expected to attend the presentation of two books by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, on Tuesday. This was contained in a statement issued by Media Committee, Didi Walson-Jack Books Presentation Committee.
The books, ‘I Planted: A Memoir of Purposeful Service’ and ‘Beyond the Mandate: A Memoir on Leadership, Legacy, & Labour of Public Service’, which detail Walson-Jack’s experiences as a state and federal public servant, are to be presented in Abuja onTuesday, 25 August 2026.
Also expected to attend the event are Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the Senate; Hon Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House of Representatives; Senator George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation; the 36 state governors; ministers; permanent secretaries; service chiefs; and members of the diplomatic corps.
The two books, sequels to her first, ‘Roses in the Thorns: An Autobiography,’ keep alive a worthy family literary legacy established by her father, Christian Atani Okpofaa Otobotekere (the Okun XIX and Amananaowei of Tombia), the late poet-King of Tombia, Bayelsa State, who wrote 14 books before his death in 2023.
The books, which will be officially reviewed by Dr Joe Abah, former Director-General of the Bureau for Public Service Reforms, have already garnered several positive reviews fromprominent public policy analysts and business leaders, including Prof Tunji Olaopa, Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission; George Etomi, a legal icon and life bencher; and Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede,Chairman of Access Bank Holdings.
Hear Prof Olaopa, “Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack’s memoir, ‘I Planted: A Memoir of Purposeful Service,’ navigates the tensions of being a pioneer civil servant in a fledgling state and the treacherous politics of the workplace, all while maintaining her resolve to preserve her integrity at all costs.
“The publication commemorates the laying of the foundation on which the superstructure of whatever she later became solidified, as her career progressed to the federal level. It is indeed essential reading for present and future career civil servants and other development workers and professionals who genuinely desire to understand how to overcome the many landmines of the public-sector workplace, reach the top nonetheless, and, at that, bequeath enduring legacies that are invariably the reward of the true and committed reformer.”
According to Aig-Imoukhuede, “Beyond the Mandate: A Memoir in Leadership, Legacy, & Labour of Public Service’ offers a rare insider’s perspective on leadership at the highest levels of public service. Drawing on decades of experience, Didi Esther Walson-Jack distils practical lessons on governance, institutional reform and ethical leadership with clarity and authority.
“It is an important contribution to the study of public administration and an invaluable guide for policymakers, public servants and leaders committed to strengthening institutions throughout Africa.”
Endorsing ‘Beyond the Mandate,’ Etomi wrote, “[It] is a compelling account of what it means to serve the Nigerian State with competence, courage, and conscience… I commend [it] as an important contribution to Nigeria’s public service history and as an inspiring guide for all who believe that government can still be made efficient, humane, and worthy of public trust.”
Married to Nimi Walson-Jack, a consummate lawyer and former Secretary-General of the Nigerian Bar Association, Didi Walson-Jack, Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) and Member of the National Institute (mni), began her public service career in the Rivers State Civil Service in 1992. Following BayelsaState’s creation in 1996, she transferred to the new state civil service, where she rose to Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice. At various times, she also served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Chief of Staff to the Governor. In 2009, she moved to the Federal Civil Service, rising to Permanent Secretary in 2017 and serving across six ministries.
In August 2024, President Tinubu appointed her to the position of Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
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