*Insists paperless civil service reduces delays, bureaucracy, strengthens transparency

*Says data more valuable than oil

THE Federal Government has declared an end to the use of personal email accounts, such as Yahoo Mail, for official public sector transactions, mandating the transition of civil servants to a secure, institutional digital platform.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoSF), Didi Walson-Jack, made the declaration yesterday in Abuja during a digital transformation summit marking the 20th anniversary of Galaxy Backbone.

She emphasised that over 115,000 active official ‘GovMail’ accounts have been activated to guarantee secure, traceable, and professional communications across the federal civil service.

Walson-Jack said: “Government business cannot continue to depend on personal email addresses, informal channels, and scattered records.

“Thanks to Galaxy Backbone, the days of Yahoo Mail are over for transacting government business. When an officer leaves a desk, government information must not leave with that officer; institutional memory must remain within government.”

The HoSF revealed that the Federal Government recorded a major digital milestone by fully digitising the work processes of all 38 federal ministries and extra ministerial departments before the end of December 2025.

She described the achievement as a bold target met through strong institutional commitment, proving that the civil service can successfully reform when leadership is clear and consistent.

Reflecting on the bureaucratic bottlenecks of the past, she noted that in the old order, a moving file could mean it was lost in a bag or awaiting a signature. In contrast, she said that a digitalised civil service ensures traceability, accountability, and measurable progress.

She further said, “For us in the Federal Civil Service, digitalisation is not a slogan or a ceremonial project but a practical reform aimed at improving the way government works.

 “The paperless civil service is not about removing paper for the sake of removing paper. It is about removing delay, reducing avoidable bureaucracy, strengthening transparency, and ensuring that government work can be tracked, measured, retrieved, and delivered with speed.”

Walson-Jack commended Galaxy Backbone for providing the critical digital public infrastructure, including the iGovernment cloud, GovMail, and high speed internet.

“You are not simply providing technology; you are supporting governance, enabling continuity, and helping government to work as one connected system. No digital government can stand without a strong backbone,” she added.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone, Prof Ibrahim Adeyanju, said that digital data has eclipsed crude oil in global economic value, urging the federal government to accelerate its digital transformation policies.

Addressing the gathering of top government officials, private sector partners, and tech innovators, the CEO emphasised that the global digital revolution has positioned data as the ultimate sovereign asset.

“Data is becoming bigger than oil, and data is not just oil, it’s actually the land.

“Who owns the data owns the land, and if you own the land, data means what happens on the land. Either you are looking for oil on the land, either you are using the land for agriculture, either you are building on the land. That’s what data has become today,” Adeyanju said

The summit, themed “Powering Nigeria’s Digital Transformation,” was attended by high profile dignitaries, including representatives of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and the Special Adviser to the President on Power and Infrastructure, Sadiq Wanka.

Prof Adeyanju stressed that digital transformation must no longer be viewed merely as an IT upgrade, but as a central pillar of national economic strategy.

“Across the globe, nations are investing heavily in digital infrastructure because they recognise the simple truth. Those who lead digitally will lead economically,” he explained.

Calling for a concerted effort to strengthen Nigeria’s “digital sovereignty,” he assured that Galaxy Backbone is repositioning itself to serve state governments and private enterprises, acting as a scalable enabler for the country’s evolving digital needs.