Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has described the career of the outgoing Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Esther Walson-Jack, as evidence that the hardships of public service can build, rather than break, leaders committed to their duties.
Diri said Walson-Jack’s journey from the Niger Delta civil service to the highest administrative position in Nigeria demonstrated the value of perseverance, discipline, commitment and purposeful service.
He spoke at the retirement and book presentation ceremony for Walson-Jack, where he joined other senior Nigerians in celebrating her 34 years in public service.
The governor said Walson-Jack’s experience in Rivers State, Bayelsa State and the Federal Civil Service had shaped her into the public servant being celebrated today.
“Mrs. Walson-Jack, the hardship of service in the Niger Delta, in the state civil service, and at the pinnacle of the federal civil service, did not actually break her. It actually formed her, and today we celebrate her,” Diri said.
The governor also joined former President Goodluck Jonathan and other Bayelsa leaders in thanking President Bola Tinubu for appointing Walson-Jack as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
Diri recalled that Bayelsa leaders had visited Tinubu following the appointment and said the state could not remain silent about what he described as the President’s decision to give their daughter an opportunity to serve Nigeria at the highest level of the civil service.
“On behalf of Bayelsa State, express our gratitude to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
Diri said Walson-Jack’s book, I Planted, captured the essence of her career and reminded him of the biblical passage in 1 Corinthians 3:6: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.”
He applied the passage to Walson-Jack’s career, saying, “Didi Walson-Jack planted. The seed has been watered, but God has seen her all through from Bayelsa to the pinnacle of the Federal Civil Service.”
According to Diri, the book reflects the character of its author, describing Walson-Jack as “measured, graceful, principled, and deeply rooted.”
He said the memoir also showed the sacrifices and discipline required to serve effectively in the public sector.
Diri highlighted a passage in I Planted where Walson-Jack wrote: “I was planting in grounds that had never been cultivated.”
He said the “uncultivated grounds” represented offices, committees and institutions where the voice of a woman from the Niger Delta had previously not been adequately heard.
Diri said Walson-Jack did not merely occupy those spaces but helped cultivate them and contributed to building structures that could outlive the individuals who established them.
He described I Planted as more than a personal memoir, saying it also serves as an important record of the formative years of Bayelsa State.
The governor particularly praised Walson-Jack for documenting her experiences, saying the record would help preserve institutional memory for future generations.
“By committing 34 years of service to paper, she has preserved institutional memory and given the civil service a mirror,” Diri said.
He described the documentation of her career as an act of patriotism, particularly at a time when records can easily disappear in an era dominated by fleeting social media posts and digital messages.
Diri said the central lesson from Walson-Jack’s career was that public service should not be measured by visibility or personal recognition, but by the quality of the contribution made to institutions.
He said Bayelsans should be proud of Walson-Jack and the role she played in the development of the state and the wider Nigerian public service.
“Bayelsans are proud of you. You planted in Rivers State, you planted in Bayelsa State, you watered in Abuja, and God gave the increase,” he said.
Diri also said the experience of Walson-Jack should encourage public servants to remain committed even when their efforts do not produce immediate recognition.
He congratulated Walson-Jack and prayed that she would continue to contribute to society through “more seasons of planting, watering and harvesting.”
The governor’s remarks added another dimension to the broader message at the ceremony, where Jonathan, Tinubu, Seriake Dickson and Joe Abba all emphasised merit, integrity, institutional reform, perseverance and the need to leave public institutions stronger than they were found