Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs. Didi Esther Wilson Jack has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to deepening digital transformation across the public service. She stated this in her keynote address at the Paperless Civil Service Gala and Awards Night held on Tuesday, December 17, 2025, at the Abuja Continental Hotel.
According to Wilson Jack, the paperless civil service initiative is a landmark achievement in public sector reform, stressing that automation, electronic records management and data driven governance are central to improving efficiency, transparency and service delivery in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Her words: “Globally, public administrations are rapidly moving away from paperbased processes towards digital governance, driven by the need for speed, transparency, resilience, and citizen trust. In today’s interconnected
environment, countries that fail to digitise their Public Services are not merely
slow; they are uncompetitive and increasingly irrelevant.
She further stated:
“Governments are embracing digital transformation as a powerful equaliser, using technology to leapfrog legacy systems, improve service delivery, reduce corruption, connect more effectively with citizens, and Nigeria’s progress demonstrates that African Public Services can innovate boldly and deliver reforms that match global standards.
“This evening represents a defining moment in the reform journey of the
Nigerian Federal Civil Service, because digitalisation, which for many years sounded like a good idea we would get to “one day,” has finally arrived, and I am delighted that we can now speak about it not as a concept but in reality.
“The journey towards a digitally transformed and paperless Federal Civil
Service did not begin overnight, and it certainly did not begin with this
administration. It has been a deliberate and progressive reform effort spanning successive Heads of the Civil Service of the Federation, each building firmly on the foundations laid by their predecessors. In 2017, under the leadership of Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan
2017–2020 was launched, and for the first time, digitalisation was clearly
positioned as a strategic reform priority. That strategy introduced the concept of an “Enterprise Content Management System”, signalling a shift away from paper dependency and laying the groundwork for digitising records, memos, and workflows across the Service.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation also added: “Early efforts began modestly but meaningfully: for example, the traditional practice of issuing staff posting and deployment circulars purely on paper was moved to a secure online repository, using a controlled cloud
approach, to prevent the fraudulent alteration of posting circulars. By placing these sensitive postings “in the cloud,” the Service sent a strong signal that transparency, authenticity, and accountability would define the new direction. Though initial reforms often faced the inertia of old habits, the foundation was laid for a Civil Service that could eventually transcend the
deeply entrenched paper-bound bureaucracy of the past. It was a bold signal that the Service was ready to embrace an efficient, productive, incorruptible,
and citizen-centred culture.
“That foundation was significantly strengthened under the leadership of
Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, CFR, who recognised that digitalisation could not
remain at the level of pilots and isolated initiatives. Under her stewardship, the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025, popularly
known as FCSSIP25, was developed. Crucially, the earlier concept of Enterprise Content Management evolved into a broader and more ambitious focus on
“Digitalisation of Content Services” reflects a shift from simply scanning
documents to transform how information flows, how decisions are taken, how work is tracked, and how services are delivered across Ministries,
Departments and Agencies.
“A pivotal moment came in 2020 when the COVID-19 disruption underscored the cost of clinging to paper. In June of that year, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan issued a landmark circular directing every Ministry, Department, and Agency to convert their files to digital format without delay. This was the turning point when digitalisation moved from a recommended pilot to a mandated policy. No longer a suggestion, it became an instruction: MDAs were ordered to automate their registries and report progress quarterly, making it clear that the era of bulging file cabinets and missing documents must give way to electronic data management.
“When I assumed office as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation in August 2024, I met a system that had made progress but still had a long way to go, as only about three Ministries and Extra-Ministerial Departments had fully
digitised their work processes, namely the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Federal Ministry of Transportation, and the Federal Ministry of Finance. While commendable, it also meant that the rest of us were still very attached to our printers,” she added.
Also in his speech at the event, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, commended the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation for championing digital reforms, noting that initiatives such as the 1Government Cloud Framework would strengthen inter agency collaboration, data security and cost effective governance in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Programme Director of the 1Government Cloud Framework highlighted the role of shared digital infrastructure in accelerating the transition to a paperless public service, explaining that the framework is designed to enable secure cloud adoption and seamless digital operations across government institutions.
The gala night also featured an awards ceremony, where selected MDAs and public servants were honoured for outstanding performance, innovation, and leadership in advancing the paperless policy and digital compliance within the Federal Civil Service.
The event drew Permanent Secretaries, Directors, senior civil servants, ICT partners, and development stakeholders, underscoring growing momentum towards a modern, efficient, and digitally driven Nigerian civil service.
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