MDAs’ll no longer accept paper correspondence as Federal civil service goes paperless
Orisemeke Benjamin
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, has warned that Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) will longer accept paper applications from Nigerians.
Mrs. Walson-Jack, who made the declaration at the end of the year press briefing to mark the completion of implementation of the directive for the Federal Civil Service operate an entirely paperless system Wednesday in Abuja, said the digitalisation reform aligns with the country’s national development priorities and international best practices that focuses on speed, integrity, transparency, institutional memory, and trust.
According to the HCSF all Ministries in the Federal Civil Service are now paperless, adding that it marks a bold transition from a paper-based legacy bureaucracy to a modern, accountable, and digitally enabled public service.
Mrs. Walson-Jack insisted that anybody that wants to do busy with the MDAs no longer need to send traditional paper letters with envelopes to communicate with the Federal Civil Service, instead, it would be through a scanned letter sent via email or correspondence, with attachments from a personal or organisational email address.
She said: To consolidate these gains and end the culture of paper-based bureaucracy, the 38 Federal Ministries and Extra-Ministerial Departments will no longer accept paper submissions through their physical registries. All correspondence to the MEMDs should now be sent to the official registry email addresses, which can be found on the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation website. Citizens can also now track their correspondence with individual MEMDs through the Federal Civil Service Paperless portal.
“This approach not only provides clearer audit trails of documents and faster response times but also makes accessing government services more convenient, transparent, and trustworthy for citizens and businesses alike. The days of missing, lost, or misplaced files are gone, leading to more efficient service delivery.
“This strengthens sovereignty over official correspondence, enhances responsiveness across MDAs, and reduces reliance on unofficial communication channels. Additionally, GovMail is saving the Federal Government billions of Naira annually by reducing dependence on fragmented, agency-specific external email subscriptions and licenses, delivering better value-for-money.”
Speaking further the HCSF explained that a total of 33 ministries and 5 Extra-Ministerial Departments, 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.
“As a key part of the paperless policy, the Federal Civil Service achieved a significant breakthrough in official communication by expanding Government Email accounts. In August 2024, there were fewer than 20,000 official email addresses for civil servants. By today, Wednesday, 31st December 2025, over 100,000 official email accounts have been created for public servants on the GovMail platform. Now, all Civil Servants have official government email addresses, ensuring they operate with official email identities for secure, professional, and auditable government communication at scale,” she further explained.
She noted that the ECM will ensure that efficient use of resources, while at the same time, allowing civil servants to work securely and effectively from anywhere while maintaining governance standards.
“In addition, engagements are ongoing with telecommunications
providers to make online access more affordable for Ministries and Extra-Ministerial Departments and to enhance the reliability of connectivity needed for digital workflows. At the same time, a sustainable pricing model is being created to keep digitalisation platforms affordable, scalable, and maintainable over the long term, ensuring service continuity and value-for money for the Government,” she added.
