Citizenship News
Nigeria has recorded a significant governance breakthrough with the Federal Civil Service’s full transition to a paperless system, effectively concluding a comprehensive digitalisation programme across all ministries and extra-ministerial departments.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, announced the achievement at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, describing it as a historic departure from decades of paper-driven bureaucracy.
She disclosed that as of the close of work on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, all federal ministries and extra-ministerial departments had fully complied with presidential and administrative directives mandating complete digital operations.
“This achievement represents a decisive shift from a legacy paper-based system to a modern, transparent and digitally enabled public service,” Walson-Jack said. “In clear terms, every ministry in the Federal Civil Service is now operating paperless.”
According to her, the milestone marks a major advance in public sector reform by enhancing accountability, transparency, institutional memory and service delivery, while aligning Nigeria’s governance processes with international best practices.
Walson-Jack noted that the successful transition was the product of sustained, incremental reforms implemented over several years by successive Heads of the Civil Service of the Federation.
She explained that the digital transformation formally began in 2017 under Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, with the introduction of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (2017–2020), which first prioritised digitalisation and introduced the Enterprise Content Management (ECM) framework.
The reforms were further strengthened under Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan, CFR, through the Federal Civil Service Strategy 2021–2025, which expanded the ECM concept into a broader digital content services agenda.
“The emphasis shifted from merely digitising documents to re-engineering how information moves, how decisions are taken, how tasks are monitored and how services are delivered,” she said.
Rapid Acceleration Since 2024
Walson-Jack stated that when she assumed office in August 2024, digital adoption across the service stood at about 30 per cent, with only a handful of ministries partially operating paperless systems.
She said implementation gained momentum thereafter, culminating in the full integration of 38 ministries and extra-ministerial departments, comprising 33 ministries and five extra-ministerial institutions — the State House, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Federal Civil Service Commission, and the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
A key component of the reform, she explained, was the large-scale deployment of GovMail, the official government email platform.
She revealed that fewer than 20,000 official email accounts existed across the service as of August 2024, but that number has grown to over 100,000 by December 31, 2025.
“All civil servants now use secure, professional and auditable government email identities,” she said, adding that the platform has strengthened data sovereignty, improved inter-ministerial communication and reduced reliance on unofficial channels.
She further noted that the initiative is yielding significant cost savings by eliminating multiple agency subscriptions to external email services.
With the paperless deadline met, the HCSF said the next phase would prioritise sustainability, optimisation and strict compliance.
She announced that her office would intensify post-implementation optimisation, compliance monitoring, cybersecurity reinforcement and further digitisation of workflows across government institutions.
She also disclosed that a major capacity-building programme, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), would begin in January 2026.
Under the initiative, 500 trainers will be equipped through a service-wide Training-of-Trainers scheme and deployed to train officers across ministries and extra-ministerial departments to ensure effective and sustainable use of digital platforms.
The training will cover tools such as Service-Wide GPT, the online Federal Circulars Compendium, GovMail and other digital solutions developed for civil servants and the public.
End to Physical Correspondence
Walson-Jack announced a major change in public engagement with government, stating that federal ministries and extra-ministerial departments will no longer accept paper-based correspondence through physical registries.
All official communications must now be submitted electronically to designated registry email addresses published on the website of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, with submissions trackable via the Federal Civil Service Paperless Portal.
“Members of the public and the international community no longer need to send physical letters. A scanned letter sent to an official registry email address is sufficient,” she said.
She added that the system will improve audit trails, shorten response times and eliminate the persistent issue of lost or misplaced files.
The HCSF said the Federal Government is collaborating with development partners, public institutions and private sector organisations to provide digital devices that will further accelerate adoption.
She explained that the ECM platform is mobile-friendly, supporting a mobile-first work culture that allows civil servants to operate securely from any location. She added that engagements with telecommunications providers are ongoing to improve internet affordability and reliability.
A sustainable pricing framework, she said, is also being developed to ensure the long-term affordability, scalability and maintenance of digital platforms.
Walson-Jack commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his leadership and commitment, describing them as pivotal to the success of the digitalisation programme.
She also thanked members of the Federal Executive Council, particularly the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, and the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, for their advocacy and support.
She acknowledged the contributions of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, CON, as well as institutional partners such as the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Galaxy Backbone Limited, whose infrastructure and technical expertise facilitated the nationwide deployment of the OneGov ECM platform.
The HCSF also praised the media for promoting transparency and public awareness throughout the reform process, adding “you have played a critical role in bridging the gap between the Civil Service and citizens, strengthening accountability and rebuilding public trust,” she said.
She concluded that the digitalisation drive aligns with Nigeria’s national development objectives and global standards, reaffirming the Federal Civil Service’s commitment to a modern, efficient and citizen-centred public service.
