|By Chinwendu Nwani
The Federal Government has formally ended paper-based correspondence across its ministries, as the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, announced that all federal ministries and extra-ministerial departments are now operating on a fully paperless system.
Walson-Jack disclosed this on Wednesday while addressing journalists, stating that every federal ministry has been digitalised and will no longer require physical documents to conduct official government business.
She revealed that more than 100,000 official email accounts have been created for civil servants on the GovMail platform, ensuring that all government communications are conducted through secure, professional and auditable official email identities.
According to her, federal ministries will no longer accept physical correspondence, stressing that only scanned letters sent through approved official email addresses will be recognised going forward.
The Head of Service explained that the paperless initiative now covers 38 Ministries and Extra-Ministerial Departments, comprising 33 ministries and five extra-ministerial bodies, including the State House, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, the Federal Civil Service Commission and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
She said the move strengthens government control over official correspondence, improves response time across ministries, departments and agencies, and eliminates dependence on unofficial communication channels.
Walson-Jack added that the GovMail platform is already saving the Federal Government billions of naira annually by reducing reliance on fragmented external email subscriptions and licences, while delivering better value for money.
She further disclosed that engagements are ongoing with telecommunications providers to make internet access more affordable for ministries and extra-ministerial departments and to improve connectivity reliability required for digital workflows.
To ensure sustainability, she noted that a long-term pricing model is being developed to keep digital platforms affordable, scalable and maintainable, guaranteeing continuity of service and value for government expenditure.
As part of the reforms, Walson-Jack announced the immediate closure of physical registries to paper submissions across all 38 ministries and extra-ministerial departments, effectively ending the culture of paper-based bureaucracy.
She directed that all correspondence must now be sent to official registry email addresses, which are available on the website of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
The Head of Service also disclosed that citizens can now track their submissions to individual ministries and agencies through the Federal Civil Service Paperless Portal.
She explained that under the new system, citizens and the international community no longer need to send physical letters or envelopes, as scanned documents sent via email, with relevant attachments, are now sufficient for official communication with the Federal Civil Service.
