Tinubu appoints Didi Esther Walson-Jack as head of service

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Didi Esther Walson-Jack, as head of the civil service (HoS) of the federation.

Ajuri Ngelale, the presidential spokesperson, said in a statement on Wednesday that Walson-Jack’s appointment will take effect on August 14.

Ngelale said Folasade Yemi-Esan, the outgoing HoS, is set to retire from the civil service on August 13.

“Mrs Walson-Jack was appointed as Federal Permanent Secretary in 2017 and has served in several ministries,” the statement reads.

“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.”

WHO IS DIDI ESTHER WALSON-JACK?

Walson-Jack holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Lagos. She was called to the bar in 1987.

Before joining the federal civil service, she was the solicitor-general of Bayelsa and also served as the permanent secretary of the state ministry of justice.

She was first appointed as a permanent secretary in 2017 by former President Muhammadu Buhari. She was deployed to the office of the head of the civil service of the federation.

She had served as permanent secretary at the ministries of Niger Delta affairs, power, water resources and sanitation, and education.

In 2023, she was conferred with the national honour of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).

In her early days, she attended the Federal Government Girls’ College in Benin City, Edo state, and the Federal Government College in Ilorin, Kwara state.

She is married to Nimi Walson-Jack, a former general secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).