The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, has declared that all federal ministries in Nigeria have transitioned to a fully paperless system.
She said every ministry has now been digitalised and will no longer require paper for official government activities.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday, Decmber 31, Walson-Jack disclosed that more than 100,000 email accounts have been created for civil servants on the GovMail platform. She added that all civil servants now operate with official government email addresses, ensuring secure, professional and auditable communication across government offices.
According to her, no federal ministry will henceforth accept paper correspondence. All official communications must be submitted as scanned documents sent through the appropriate official email addresses.
She explained that the Federal Civil Service has expanded its digital framework to cover 38 Ministries and Extra-Ministerial Departments, comprising 33 ministries and five extra-ministerial bodies. These include 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.
Walson-Jack said the initiative strengthens government control over official correspondence, improves responsiveness across ministries and departments, and reduces reliance on unofficial communication channels.
She added that the GovMail platform is saving the Federal Government billions of naira annually by eliminating fragmented, agency-specific external email subscriptions and licences, while delivering better value for money.
According to her, discussions are ongoing with telecommunications providers to make internet access more affordable for ministries and extra-ministerial departments, as well as to improve connectivity reliability needed for digital workflows. She noted that a sustainable pricing model is also being developed to ensure digital platforms remain affordable, scalable and maintainable in the long term.
To fully eliminate paper-based bureaucracy, she stated that the 38 federal ministries and extra-ministerial departments will no longer accept paper submissions through physical registries. 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.
She further explained that citizens can now track their correspondence with individual ministries and departments through the Federal Civil Service Paperless portal.
In practical terms, she said the paperless system means citizens and the international community no longer need to send traditional paper letters to communicate with the Federal Civil Service, as scanned letters and attachments sent via email are now sufficient.
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