President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for a change in the way Nigeria’s public service operates, saying government institutions must move beyond routine administration and focus more directly on delivery and outcomes.

The President said federal ministries, departments and agencies should prioritise service delivery and create tangible improvements for citizens.

Tinubu spoke through the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh, during the presentation of two memoirs by outgoing Head of the Civil Service of the Federation Didi Esther Walson-Jack.

The President said his administration’s governance and public-service reforms were designed to change the way government works.

He said the objective was to move from routine administration to purposeful delivery and from activity to outcomes.

Tinubu also said government needed to move away from processes that merely consume time towards systems capable of producing measurable value for citizens.

The President linked the reform agenda to the Renewed Hope Agenda.

He said ministers’ regular reporting on progress was intended to help create a culture in which governance was increasingly judged by delivery.

Tinubu said every administration would ultimately be judged by tangible results and improvements in citizens’ lives.

He therefore urged MDAs to focus on implementation rather than simply making policy announcements.

The President also highlighted the importance of digitalisation.

He said digitalisation must remain a defining feature of the modern public service and that no government institution should be left behind.

Tinubu said the objective was to build a more efficient, data-driven and citizen-focused government.

He disclosed that he occasionally reviews the dashboard of the Central Delivery Coordination Unit to monitor ministries and government programmes.

According to the President, the dashboard allows him to obtain information without necessarily calling ministers individually.

Tinubu said this approach should continue as government strengthens its performance-management systems.

He also said civil servants must understand that competence was a duty, integrity was non-negotiable and innovation was necessary.

The President said serving Nigerians was the ultimate purpose of public office.

He further stressed that institutional continuity was essential.

According to Tinubu, governments and political leadership may change and policies may evolve, but the machinery of government must retain the institutional memory and professional competence required to sustain the Nigerian state.

The comments came during Walson-Jack’s final days as Head of Service.

Tinubu praised her for recognising the need for continuous evolution within the civil service.

He said her career demonstrated that public service was about building institutions and developing people as well as achieving individual milestones.

Walson-Jack said her memoirs captured the successes, frustrations, reforms and lessons of her 34 years in government.

The event therefore combined a reflection on her career with a broader discussion of how Nigeria’s public service should evolve.