PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has appointed Didi Esther Walson-Jack as Nigeria’s new Head of Civil Service of the Federation.
This was contained in a statement from the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, on Wednesday, July 17.
The appointment will be effective from August 13, according to the statement.
“The new appointee will take over from the incumbent Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, CFR, who is due to retire on August 13, 2024.
“President Tinubu, while thanking the outgoing Head of Service for her stewardship, tasks the incoming Head of Service to discharge her duties with innovative flair, integrity, and stringent adherence to the extant rules and regulations of the Civil Service of the Federation,” Ngelale noted.
He also disclosed that Walson-Jack was appointed as federal permanent secretary in 2017, and had served in several ministries.
The ICIR reports that Walson-Jack has played significant roles at various levels of government in Nigeria.
In 2013, she was appointed as Chief of Staff, at Government House in Bayelsa.
Before that appointment, she was the state’s commissioner for science, technology, and manpower development.
She has held many other positions at the federal level, including within the Ministries of Water Resources, Niger Delta Affairs and Power.
In January 2024, she was named permanent secretary for the Federal Ministry of Education – a position she occupied till her appointment as Head of Civil Service of the Federation.
She is reportedly one of the pioneer staff at the Bayelsa State Civil Service and was responsible for drafting the edicts proclaimed under the military administration between 1996 and 1999.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.