Didi Esther Walson-Jack: A Story of Capacity, Patience, Doggedness and Purposeful Service
By Abdulhameed Musa Abdullahi
There are exits that signify an ending, and there are exits that announce the beginning of another chapter.
The retirement of Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, OON, mni, as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation belongs to the latter.
After more than three decades of distinguished public service, the Amazon has stepped away from one of the highest offices in Nigeria’s public administration. Yet, judging from the tributes and reflections that surrounded her exit, it would be premature to describe this moment simply as retirement.
It is, rather, a transition.
A transition from one platform of service to another.
A transition from the authority of office to the influence of experience.
And perhaps, most importantly, a transition from a remarkable chapter of public administration to a new chapter whose possibilities are yet to unfold.
THE TESTIMONY OF A FORMER PRESIDENT
Among the many tributes paid to Mrs. Walson-Jack at her recent book presentation and retirement celebration in Abuja, the reflection by former President Goodluck Jonathan stood out.
Jonathan recalled an important episode in her career that perhaps captures the essence of the woman better than any title could.
Before joining the Federal Civil Service, Walson-Jack had served as a Permanent Secretary in the Bayelsa State Government. Yet, when she moved into the Federal Civil Service, she was appointed at the level of Assistant Director.
For someone who had already attained the position of Permanent Secretary at state level, the transition could understandably have appeared unfair.
It was a significant step downward in title and status.
Jonathan recalled advising her to accept the situation in good faith and continue to serve.
She did.
And therein lies one of the defining lessons of her journey.
She did not allow a temporary designation to define her permanent capacity.
She did not allow the circumstances of her entry into the Federal Civil Service to determine the destination of her career.
Instead, she demonstrated patience, discipline and an extraordinary capacity to persevere.
She entered the Federal Civil Service as an Assistant Director and eventually rose through the system to become the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
That journey speaks louder than any ceremonial accolade.
“YOU GIVE AN ELEPHANT THE JOB OF AN ELEPHANT”
Jonathan’s observation about her capacity was equally striking.
In describing the principle of matching responsibility with capability, he used the imagery of an elephant and a cat: an elephant can be given the work of an elephant, while a cat can be given the work suited to a cat.
The analogy captures something fundamental about Walson-Jack’s career.
Capacity eventually reveals itself.
A person may temporarily be placed below their potential.
Circumstances may temporarily obscure someone’s ability.
A title may temporarily fail to reflect a person’s true worth.
But genuine capacity, when combined with patience and determination, eventually becomes impossible to ignore.
From Assistant Director to Permanent Secretary and ultimately to Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Walson-Jack’s career became a practical demonstration of this principle.
Her story is therefore not merely one of promotion.
It is a story of doggedness.
It is a story of patience.
It is a story of resilience.
And it is a story of refusing to allow one’s present circumstances to become a limitation on one’s future.
AN AMAZON OF PURPOSEFUL SERVICE
Her two recently presented books, I Planted: A Memoir of Purposeful Service and Beyond the Mandate: A Memoir on Leadership, Legacy & Labour of Public Service, provide another dimension to understanding her journey.
They are more than accounts of positions held.
They are reflections on service, leadership, institutional responsibility, challenges, triumphs and the people encountered along the way.
The title I Planted is particularly evocative.
A planter does not always remain long enough to see every tree reach maturity.
A planter prepares the ground, plants the seed and trusts that others will eventually enjoy the shade.
That philosophy is consistent with what Walson-Jack has repeatedly demonstrated through mentorship and institution-building.
Her legacy is therefore not only in the policies she participated in or the offices she occupied.
It is also in the people she encouraged.
LEADERSHIP THAT OUTLIVES OFFICE
The calibre of personalities who gathered to celebrate her departure was itself a testimony.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan, national political leaders, governors, the National Security Adviser, ministers, senior civil servants and other dignitaries joined in recognising her contribution.
The significance of such a gathering goes beyond protocol.
It demonstrates the depth of relationships accumulated through decades of service.
Former colleagues and political leaders did not merely speak about an officeholder.
They spoke about a person.
A professional.
A mentor.
A woman whose career crossed institutional and political boundaries while maintaining a reputation for professionalism and service.
That is perhaps one of the greatest achievements any public servant can leave behind.
THE AMAZON LEAVES THE OFFICE, NOT THE MISSION
Retirement from public office is often described as the end of a career.
But some careers are too deeply rooted in national service to end simply because an appointment has ended.
For Walson-Jack, the next chapter could take many forms.
It could involve mentorship.
It could involve policy.
It could involve institution-building.
It could involve public advocacy.
It could involve political leadership.
Or it could simply involve using the experience accumulated over more than three decades to guide those who are now entering the corridors she once travelled.
The important point is that Nigeria still has use for people who understand government not from textbooks, but from decades of practical experience.
And the indications from the tributes surrounding her exit suggest that her contribution is far from exhausted.
THE POSSIBILITIES AHEAD
One of the most intriguing moments surrounding her retirement was the public suggestion by the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, of the possibility that Walson-Jack could one day become Bayelsa State’s first female governor.
Whether that possibility ever becomes reality is a matter for the future.
But the fact that such a possibility could be publicly articulated at a celebration of her career speaks volumes about how her capacity is perceived.
It also reinforces the broader message of her journey:
A person’s greatest chapter may not always be the chapter they have just completed.
Sometimes, the experience accumulated in one office becomes preparation for an entirely different assignment.
A LESSON FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
For young Nigerians who aspire to leadership, Walson-Jack’s story offers a lesson that deserves to be repeated.
Do not allow a temporary setback to become a permanent definition of yourself.
Do not measure your capacity solely by the position you occupy today.
Do not despise the seemingly small beginning.
And do not confuse patience with weakness.
The woman who once entered the Federal Civil Service as an Assistant Director after serving as a State Permanent Secretary eventually became the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
Her journey demonstrates that position can change, circumstances can change, administrations can change, but capacity combined with character can continue to create possibilities.
A MENTOR’S LEGACY
For those of us who have had the privilege of knowing Mrs. Walson-Jack beyond the formalities of office, there is another dimension to her legacy.
A mentor does not merely help someone obtain an opportunity.
A true mentor expands another person’s understanding of what is possible.
She encourages preparation.
She teaches patience.
She demonstrates that leadership is a responsibility before it is a privilege.
And she reminds younger people that whatever position they eventually occupy, they must remember those coming behind them.
This is why her departure from office should not be viewed with sadness alone.
It should also be viewed with gratitude.
Gratitude for what has been accomplished.
Gratitude for the institutions strengthened.
Gratitude for the people mentored.
And gratitude for the example provided to a generation that desperately needs credible examples of purposeful public service.
THE EXIT OF THE AMAZON
The Amazon has exited the office.
But she has not exited the national conversation.
Her books will preserve her experiences.
Her mentees will carry forward her lessons.
Her relationships will continue to connect different generations of leaders.
And the values she has demonstrated throughout her career will remain relevant long after the official title of Head of the Civil Service of the Federation has ceased to appear before her name.
The office has ended.
The mission has not.
The chapter has closed.
The story continues.
And perhaps the most fitting way to describe this moment is not “the end of an era,” but “the beginning of another chapter.”
As the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and other national figures recognised the depth of her contribution, one is reminded that some public servants leave office with nothing more than memories of the position they occupied.
Others leave with something much greater:
a legacy.
Didi Esther Walson-Jack belongs to the latter.
The Amazon has bowed out.
Now, she has the opportunity to propel a new chapter.
And for those who have been inspired, mentored and encouraged by her journey, the hope is that the next chapter will be even more consequential than the one she has just completed.
Congratulations, Mummy, on an extraordinary chapter of purposeful service.
The office may have ended. The legacy has not.