Walson-Jack Launches Two Books, Reflects on 34 Years of Public Service
The outgoing Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, has launched two memoirs chronicling her 34-year career in public service, saying the books are meant to provide an honest account of reforms, challenges and lessons learned.
The event was held at the Ladi Kwali Hall, Abuja Continental Hotel on Tuesday, as part of activities to mark the end of her tenure in public service.
The books unveiled are, “I Planted: A Memoir of Purposeful Service” and “Beyond the Mandate: A Memoir on Leadership, Legacy & Labour of Public Service”.
In her remarks, Walson-Jack said the books were not written to glorify her tenure but to document her experience from her days as a Youth Corper in Rivers State in 1992 to the apex of the federal civil service.
“Thirty-four years is long enough to plant institutions, systems and people, and to watch some of them grow taller than you. It is also long enough to make mistakes, to learn, to be humbled,” she said.
She said investing in reforms across institutions, mentoring young civil servants and allowing them to thrive was the philosophy behind her first book, ‘I Planted: The Journey of Purposeful Service’.
“I planted, I believed, and I moved on. I did not chase credit for the institutions I helped to build, the offices I helped to reform, or all the young officers I tried to mentor along the way. I planted them, trusted them to grow, and moved on to the next assignment,” Walson-Jack said.
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She added that the second book, ‘Beyond the Mandate: A Memoir on Leadership, Legacy, and Labour of Public Service’, argues that public servants must go beyond official duties.
“A mandate should be regarded as a floor, not a ceiling. Effective public servants must develop people, strengthen institutions, and preserve institutional memory,” she said.
Walson-Jack clarified that the books do not cover her tenure as Head of Service, but focus on earlier postings and reforms.
“These two books do not tell the story of my tenure as the head of the civil service of the federation. I’m sorry to disappoint some of you. That is a story that will be told at another day,” she said.
Speaking further, she said, “If you are a civil servant, this book was written for you. If you are a student or a researcher, you will find a primary source that textbooks on Nigerian governance rarely offer. If you are in business, you will find an honest map of how government actually thinks and moves.”
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, who served as chief presenter of “I Planted”, described Walson-Jack as one of the state’s finest exports to the federal civil service.
“The hardship of service did not break her; it formed her,” Diri said.
“Mrs Walson-Jack started in places that had never been cultivated. These were offices in Bayelsa where the voice of a woman from the Niger Delta had not been heard before. She went in and cultivated them.”
Representing the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, the Deputy Governor, Dr Ngozi Nma Odu, highlighted Walson-Jack’s work on welfare and labour relations.
“She introduced structured quarterly engagements with organised labour. It demonstrated that disagreements need not become destructive when there are channels for continuous dialogue,” Odu said.
