Head of the Civil Service
- Seven reform War Rooms
- 3 to 38 MDAs on digital workflows
- GovMail to 120,000+ accounts
Head of Service Tenure
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation
Appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, in July 2024, Mrs. Walson-Jack served as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation from 14 August 2024 to 27 August 2026, when she handed over and retired from active public service. She led the final stretch of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025 (FCSSIP25), declared 2025 the Year of Accomplishment, and began the co-creation of its successor, FCSSIP30 (2026–2030).
ECMS Digitalisation (38 MDAs)
Expanded paperless operations from 3 to 38 Ministries, Departments and Agencies on the 1Gov Enterprise Content Management platform, and moved the OHCSF onto the integrated 1Gov Cloud (GovMail, InMail, GovDrive, GovConference) on 11 November 2025.
Service-Wise GPT & GovMail
Introduced Service-Wise GPT, an AI-enabled knowledge platform on public-service rules, circulars and policies, with 75,000+ conversations. GovMail grew from fewer than 20,000 officers in August 2024 to more than 120,000 active accounts.
Staff Welfare Reforms
Secured an exit benefit of 100% of annual emoluments from 1 January 2026, a 40% increase in Peculiar Allowance, a N10 billion annual housing-loan intervention, full Duty Tour Allowance for approved training, and the Employee Compensation Scheme under the ECA 2010.
Key Federal Assignments & Initiatives
Where She Led Change
Select any assignment to read the committees, initiatives and results recorded in her CV and legacy report.
Water Resources & Sanitation
- Hosted the 2022 World Toilet Summit
- Restructured the Ministry
- 250KW solar power system
Ministry of Power
- Secretary, Mambilla 3,050MW committees
- Chaired the Kaduna 215MW committee
- Chaired the Ministry restructuring
Niger Delta Affairs
- Chaired the Ministerial Tenders Board
- Empowered non-militant youth, women and men
- Peace and security sensitisation
Service Welfare Office
- Chaired the Welfare Policy committee
- Chaired the Joint National Negotiating Council
- Minimum wage tripartite committee
Directorships
- UNDP-backed ICT monitoring system
- Revived the Multi-Stakeholder Trust Fund
- Designed SMAT-P and LEAD-P
Career Timeline
Her Journey Through Public Service
14 AUG 2024 – 27 AUG 2026
Full-time · On-site
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA
📍 Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Appointment: Approved by the President on 17 July 2024; in office from 14 August 2024; handed over on 27 August 2026.
Led the Federal Civil Service through the final delivery of FCSSIP25 and the start of FCSSIP30: seven reform War Rooms, a weekly Performance Management System Day, digital work processes in 38 MDAs, more than 120,000 active GovMail accounts, a personnel audit of over 59,000 officers, and two International Civil Service Conferences.
Key assignments & initiatives
JUL 2024 – AUG 2024
Full-time
Permanent Secretary, Special Duties Office
OFFICE OF THE HEAD OF THE CIVIL SERVICE OF THE FEDERATION (OHCSF)
📍 Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Permanent Secretary, Special Duties Office, from 18 July 2024 until her appointment as Head of the Civil Service.
Key assignments & initiatives
JAN 2024 – JUL 2024
Full-time · On-site
Permanent Secretary
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, NIGERIA
📍 Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education from 15 January 2024. Nigerian representative at the Global Gateway High-Level Education Event, Brussels, on 11 April 2024.
Key assignments & initiatives
SEP 2020 – JAN 2024
Full-time · 3 yrs 3 mos
Permanent Secretary
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES AND SANITATION, NIGERIA
📍 Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Chaired the National Technical Committee on Water Resources and the Local Organising Committee of the 2022 World Toilet Summit, and sat on the steering committee of the Presidential committee on flood-disaster prevention. Restructured the ministry (a new Hydrology Department and the redesignation to Water Resources and Sanitation) and completed a 250KW solar power system, staff clinic, canteen and gymnasium.
Key assignments & initiatives
DEC 2019 – AUG 2020
Full-time · 8 mos
Permanent Secretary
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF POWER
📍 Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Chaired the committees on procurement planning, electricity supply to the Presidential Villa, the Kaduna power plants and the restructuring of the Ministry and oversight of its agencies. Secretary of the inter-ministerial committees on the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project and a board member of the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Company Limited.
Key assignments & initiatives
AUG 2019 – DEC 2019
Full-time · 4 mos
Permanent Secretary
MINISTRY OF NIGER DELTA AFFAIRS
📍 Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Chaired the Ministerial Tenders Board, sat on the Inter-Governmental Affairs Committee, trained and empowered non-militant youth, women and men, and led peace and security sensitisation programmes.
Key assignments & initiatives
AUG 2017 – JUL 2019
Full-time · 2 yrs
Permanent Secretary
SERVICE WELFARE OFFICE, OFFICE OF THE HEAD OF THE CIVIL SERVICE OF THE FEDERATION
📍 Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Chaired the technical committee that developed the Federal Civil Service Welfare Policy, the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (2017 to 2019) and the committee on the policy framework for public service emergency management. Represented the Head of the Civil Service on the Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage and edited the Service Welfare Newsletter.
Key assignments & initiatives
FEB 2015 – AUG 2017
Full-time
Director
OHCSF • FEDERAL MINISTRY OF HEALTH • MINISTRY OF NIGER DELTA AFFAIRS • OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FEDERATION
📍 Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
As Director in the Office of the Permanent Secretary, OHCSF, developed the curricula for the Structured Mandatory Assessment-Based Training Programme (SMAT-P) and the Leadership Enhancement and Development Programme (LEAD-P). As Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Niger Delta Affairs, secured UNDP support for an ICT-based monitoring and evaluation system and revived the Multi-Stakeholder Trust Fund.
Key assignments & initiatives
FEB 2012 – DEC 2014
On secondment
Chief of Staff, Commissioner and Deputy Chief of Staff
GOVERNMENT HOUSE, BAYELSA STATE
📍 Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria
Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor (February to August 2012), Commissioner for Science, Technology and Manpower Development (August 2012 to June 2013) and Chief of Staff (June 2013 to December 2014). Chaired the committee that set out the structure and sector strategy of the new Ministry of Science, Technology and Manpower Development.
Key assignments & initiatives
JUN 2009 – FEB 2012
Full-time
Assistant Director and Deputy Director
MINISTRY OF NIGER DELTA AFFAIRS
📍 Abuja and Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Joined the Federal Civil Service in 2009. Set up and coordinated the ministry’s Rivers State Office as its pioneer State Coordinator, then served in the Department of Human Resource Management in Abuja.
Key assignments & initiatives
1998 – JUN 2009
Executive State Service
Solicitor-General & Permanent Secretary
BAYELSA STATE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
📍 Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria
Head of Legal Drafting at the Ministry of Justice from October 1998 and, from May 1999, at the State House of Assembly. Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary from July 2002 to January 2009, and Secretary of the Bayelsa State Law Revision Committee (2004 to 2008). Permanent Secretary, Office of the Head of Service, in early 2009.
Key assignments & initiatives
1992 – 1996
State Legal Service
State Counsel
RIVERS STATE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
📍 Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
State Counsel from 1992 to September 1996. Member of the Rivers and Bayelsa States Assets and Liabilities Sharing and Implementation Committee (1996 to 1997).
Key assignments & initiatives
1985 – 1990
Early career
Law Clerk, State Counsel, Legal Practitioner and Editor
ELF (NIGERIA) LIMITED • AKWA IBOM MINISTRY OF JUSTICE • T. J. R. OKARA & CO.
📍 Port Harcourt and Uyo, Nigeria
Vacation clerk at Elf (Nigeria) Limited in 1985, State Counsel in Uyo during National Youth Service (1987 to 1988), legal practitioner in Port Harcourt (1988 to 1990) and Managing Editor of LAWFAIR News Magazine in 1990.
Key assignments & initiatives
Honours & Memberships
Recognition and Professional Standing
A selection of honours. She is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (MCIPM) and a Fellow of the Institute of Strategic Management of Nigeria Chartered, a Member of the Chartered Institute of Directors, Nigeria (2026), and a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the International Bar Association and FIDA.
2026
Award for Public Service at the 30th Anniversary of Bayelsa State
2026
2026 Global Service Award, Most Influential Persons of African Descent (MIPAD)
2026
African Iconic Public Service Award; inducted into the Hall of Fame, African Iconic Women Recognition Award
2026
African Public Service Award
2025
University of Lagos Distinguished Alumnus Award
2025
USOSA Lifetime Achievement Award
2025
Award of Honour, House Committee on Disability Matters
2024
Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award, Rotary Club of Abuja
2024
African Iconic Female Administrator of the Year
2023
Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON)