By Nnasom David

FCT, Abuja – The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, has described the civil service as the engine of Nigeria’s future, declaring that its transformation is essential to national development and global stability.

She made this assertion on Wednesday at Eagle Square, Abuja, during the opening of the inaugural International Civil Service Conference 2025, hosted by the Federal Government of Nigeria in collaboration with the Global Government Forum UK.

Addressing participants from Africa, Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world, Walson-Jack said the civil service was at a critical crossroads and must urgently evolve to meet the demands of the 21st century.

She said the conference marked the launch of a movement driven by the need for renewal, creativity, and bold progress in public service.

According to her, the systems inherited by many nations were created for a different era and can no longer cope with modern challenges such as rapid urbanisation, digital disruption, climate shocks, pandemics, and rising demands for equity and inclusion.

She said the conference’s theme, rejuvenate, innovate, and accelerate, was more than a slogan, describing it as the agenda needed to reposition the civil service for effectiveness and impact.

Walson-Jack stated that Nigeria has already begun implementing far-reaching reforms through the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025.

She cited the automation of government processes via the Enterprise Content Management System, the introduction of a performance management system that aligns individual key performance indicators with national development goals, and the restructuring of training institutions such as the Public Service Institute of Nigeria and the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria to deliver digital and high-impact capacity building.

She emphasised that these reforms were not mere aspirations but deliverables that are already taking shape.

She further noted that the conference offered a unique platform to share global innovations in public sector administration, referencing examples from Ghana, Kenya, Singapore, and Morocco as models of effective public service reform.

Walson-Jack called on young professionals, gender advocates, policy designers, and data scientists in the public sector to take ownership of the reform process, stressing that they are not just the future but the present of public service.

She said their creativity, courage, and conviction would determine whether the civil service can meet its transformation goals.

The conference, she added, was not just a learning platform but a call to real-world action, with participants expected to sign memoranda of understanding, engage in policy roundtables, and form strategic partnerships to support reform implementation across the globe.