The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF), Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, says the success of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is tied to the capacity of a professional, accountable and efficient civil service.
Walson-Jack made this known on Wednesday in Kano while delivering the keynote address at the opening of the 47th National Council on Establishments (NCE), hosted by the Kano State Government.
She noted that lasting socio-economic reforms can only be driven by a public workforce equipped with the right skills, values and motivation, and called for stronger collaboration and harmonised standards between the federal and state civil services to build a more efficient and future-ready system.
The HoCSF commended Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf for his worker-friendly policies and support for national development, describing Kano’s hospitality as a reflection of its commitment to unity and service excellence.
Highlighting progress under the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP) 2021–2025, Walson-Jack listed achievements such as digitisation of operations, performance management reforms, enhanced staff welfare and culture-change initiatives. She added that work had begun on a successor framework to strengthen reforms beyond 2025.
She also disclosed that ongoing personnel audits and skills gap analyses are helping to eliminate ghost workers, improve payroll integrity and guide more effective recruitment and training. Walson-Jack reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to achieving a fully paperless civil service by December 31 and noted the approval of new policies on rewards, incentives and mentoring to boost accountability and succession planning.
Earlier, Governor Kabir Yusuf, represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Umar Faruk Ibrahim, reiterated his administration’s dedication to public service reforms, stressing that the effectiveness of governance depends on the strength of the civil service. He called for deeper federal–state coordination and applauded progress recorded under the FCSSIP, particularly in digitalisation and human resource reforms.
In his welcome address, the Kano State Head of Service, Alhaji Abdullahi Musa, described the NCE as a crucial platform for policy dialogue and harmonisation. He said hosting the council for the first time in over 20 years underscores Kano’s organisational capacity and commitment to national service.
Musa outlined the state’s achievements, including prompt salary payments, settlement of pension arrears, investment in capacity development and the promotion of professionalism across the service. He thanked Governor Yusuf for his visionary leadership and labour-friendly policies, describing the gathering as a celebration of shared values and excellence in public administration.
