The Federal Government has directed all civil servants to stop using personal email accounts for official duties and migrate government communications to approved institutional platforms as part of efforts to strengthen digital governance and data security.
The directive was announced in Abuja by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, during a digital transformation summit held to mark the 20th anniversary of Galaxy Backbone.
According to Walson-Jack, the government has activated more than 115,000 official GovMail accounts to ensure secure, professional, and traceable communication across the federal civil service.
She stressed that government business should no longer be conducted through personal email services or informal communication channels, noting that such practices make record-keeping difficult and could compromise the preservation of official information.
The Head of Service explained that official records must remain within government systems even after public officers leave their positions, adding that the move would help prevent the loss of critical government information tied to individual workers.
Walson-Jack also revealed that the Federal Government successfully completed the digitalisation of work processes across all 38 federal ministries and extra-ministerial departments before the end of December 2025.
She described the achievement as evidence that meaningful reforms can be implemented when institutions demonstrate strong leadership and commitment to change.
According to her, the milestone reflects the civil service’s growing ability to embrace modern methods of operation and improve service delivery.
Recalling challenges associated with the traditional paper-based system, Walson-Jack said government files were often delayed, misplaced, or trapped in lengthy approval processes.
She noted that the transition to digital platforms has improved accountability, enhanced document tracking, and made it easier to monitor progress across government operations.
The Head of Service added that the paperless civil service initiative is designed to boost efficiency by reducing delays, cutting bureaucratic bottlenecks, improving transparency, and enabling faster retrieval and processing of official records.
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