Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, OON, mni
“We must be efficient, productive, incorruptible, and citizen-centred.”
Thirty-four years of public service, from State Counsel in Rivers State and legal drafting in Bayelsa State to Federal Permanent Secretary across five ministries and offices and head of Nigeria's Federal Civil Service. She handed over on 27 August 2026 and has retired from active public service, and is now a speaker and global advisor on institutions, leadership and reform.
Early Life, Education & Legal Foundation
Mrs. Diiarau Didi Esther Walson-Jack, OON, mni is a Nigerian lawyer, public administrator, reformer, and author whose career has spanned 34 years of public service across state and federal tiers of government.
Born on 27 August 1966 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, she is from Tombia-Ekpetiama in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. She attended Rumukurushe Primary School, Shell Camp, and St. Paul's Primary School, Diobu, in Port Harcourt, then Federal Government Girls' College, Benin City, and Federal Government College, Ilorin.
She earned her Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from the University of Lagos in 1986 and completed the Nigerian Law School in 1987. Specialist training in legislative drafting followed at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (1996 and 1998) and the California State Senate (2000).
State Leadership & Federal Permanent Secretary Roles
She served as State Counsel in the Rivers State Ministry of Justice from 1992 to 1996. In Bayelsa State she headed legal drafting for the Ministry of Justice from 1998 and for the State House of Assembly from 1999, shaping the state's laws in its early years.
She went on to serve as Solicitor-General & Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice from 2002 to 2009, then as Deputy Chief of Staff (2012), Commissioner for Science, Technology and Manpower Development (2012 to 2013) and Chief of Staff (2013 to 2014) to the Governor of Bayelsa State.
She joined the Federal Civil Service in 2009 and became a Federal Permanent Secretary in 2017, serving at the Service Welfare Office, the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Power, Water Resources & Sanitation, and Education, and then the Special Duties Office in July and August 2024. She served as the 20th 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.
Academic Background & Professional Training
A timeline of her education, legal certifications, executive programmes and degrees.