Who Is Didi Walson-Jack? Here Are 13 Things To Know About The New Head of Civil Service

Didi-Walson Jack boasts of a very enviable profile highlighting her education, career and accomplishments

Didi Walson-Jack
Didi Walson-Jack

Didi Esther Walson-Jack has been appointed as the new Head of the Civil Service of the Federation by President Bola Tinubu.

Her appointment was disclosed in a statement on Wednesday, July 17, and will take effect from August 14, 2024. She replaces Folashade Yemi-Esan.

Here are things to know about her.

1. Didi Esther Walson-Jack was born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

2. She holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Lagos and was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1987.

3. She joined the Public Service as a State Counsel in the Rivers State Ministry of Justice after her mandatory National Youth Service program.

4. Walson-Jack was among the pioneer staff of the Bayelsa State Ministry of Justice and the newly formed Bayelsa State Civil Service following the creation of the state in October 1996. She played a crucial role in establishing foundational legal and administrative structures in the state.

5. As the only certified Legal Drafter in Bayelsa State, Mrs. Walson-Jack established and administered the Legal Drafting Department of the Ministry of Justice and the Legal Department of the State House of Assembly. She was responsible for drafting all edicts promulgated by Military Administrators from 1996 to 1999 and executive bills enacted as laws by the State House of Assembly from 1999 to 2002.

6. Her hard work paid off earning her the enviable dual position of Solicitor-General of Bayelsa State and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice in July 2002.

7. She was transferred to the Federal Civil Service in 2009 where she was given the position of Assistant Director at the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs in Abuja. Her leadership skills led to her promotion to Deputy Director (Appointments, Promotion and Discipline) .

8. In 2015, Walson-Jack served in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation as Director, of Special Duties in the Special Duties Office. She was later deployed as the substantive Director of Human Resource Management at the Federal Ministry of Health, and later the Director, of Planning, Research and Statistics at the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.

9. She was also, a one-time Director, Special Duties, Office of the Permanent Secretary (Special Duties), in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

10. She holds Certificates in Legislative Drafting from the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Lagos, and the California State Senate, U.S.A. She is also an alumna of the prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State, Nigeria, and a member of the Nigerian Bar Association.

11. She also has numerous awards to her name some of which include the Public Administrator of the Year for Bayelsa State(2008) and the Award of Excellence from the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs & the Wife of the Governor of Bayelsa State (2019).

 12. She is also an author. Her best-selling autobiography, “Roses in the Thorns,” details her journey of resilience and triumph, offering insights into her personal and professional life.

13. She is married to Hon. Nimi Walson-Jack and they have 2 children.

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