Nigeria’s Federal Government has successfully met its December 31 deadline for transitioning the civil service to a fully digital, paperless system, marking one of the most far-reaching administrative reforms in the country’s history.
By December 30, 2025, all 33 federal ministries and five extra-ministerial departments had completed the switch from manual paperwork to digital operations, bringing an end to decades of paper-based bureaucracy and ushering in a new era of electronic communication and record management within government.
Confirming the development, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, announced that every ministry under the Federal Civil Service is now operating entirely through digital platforms.
According to her, the reform will significantly improve how citizens and businesses interact with government institutions.
“Nigerians can now engage with ministries and departments through fully digital channels, reducing delays and eliminating the inefficiencies associated with paper processes,” she said.
The paperless initiative builds on earlier reforms introduced in 2017 under former Heads of Service, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita and Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, who laid the groundwork through the Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system.
Under Walson-Jack’s leadership, the programme gained momentum, expanding from just three ministries and agencies using paperless systems in August 2024 to 38 ministries and extra-ministerial departments by the end of 2025.
As part of the rollout, over 100,000 official GovMail accounts were issued to civil servants nationwide to enable secure and traceable government communication, a move expected to save the country billions of naira annually.
Walson-Jack commended President Bola Tinubu for providing the political will needed for the reform and praised ministers, permanent secretaries, and technical teams for their roles in ensuring successful implementation.
She also highlighted the contribution of Galaxy Backbone Limited, noting that its technical expertise was crucial to meeting the December 31 deadline.
In addition, she acknowledged the support of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and other partners involved in strengthening the digital transition.
Looking ahead, she disclosed that a service-wide Training-of-Trainers programme will commence in January 2026 in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). About 500 trainers will be deployed to educate civil servants on digital tools such as Service-Wise GPT, GovMail, and the Online Compendium of Federal Circulars to ensure long-term sustainability.
Under the new policy, physical document submissions will no longer be accepted across the 38 ministries and extra-ministerial departments. All official correspondence must now be sent to designated registry email addresses, with citizens able to monitor the status of their submissions through the Federal Civil Service Paperless portal.
The initiative is expected to deliver faster service delivery, improved accountability, and enhanced transparency across government operations.
Earlier this month, the Federal Government had also launched a nationwide personnel audit and succession planning process as part of efforts to modernise the public service and prepare a successor framework for the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP-25).