The Federal Government has officially ended the use of personal email accounts, such as Yahoo Mail, for official public sector transactions, mandating civil servants to transition to a secure institutional digital platform. The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, made this announcement yesterday in Abuja during a digital transformation summit marking the 20th anniversary of Galaxy Backbone.
Over 115,000 GovMail Accounts Activated
Walson-Jack revealed that more than 115,000 active official GovMail accounts have been activated to ensure secure, traceable, and professional communications across the federal civil service. She emphasized that government business cannot continue to depend on personal email addresses, informal channels, and scattered records.
“Thanks to Galaxy Backbone, the days of Yahoo Mail are over for transacting government business. When an officer leaves a desk, government information must not leave with that officer; institutional memory must remain within government,” she stated.
Digital Milestone Achieved
The Head of Service disclosed that the Federal Government achieved a major digital milestone by fully digitizing the work processes of all 38 federal ministries and extra-ministerial departments before the end of December 2025. She described this as a bold target met through strong institutional commitment, proving that the civil service can successfully reform when leadership is clear and consistent.
Reflecting on past bureaucratic bottlenecks, she noted that in the old order, a moving file could mean it was lost in a bag or awaiting a signature. In contrast, a digitalized civil service ensures traceability, accountability, and measurable progress.
“For us in the Federal Civil Service, digitalization is not a slogan or a ceremonial project but a practical reform aimed at improving the way government works. The paperless civil service is not about removing paper for the sake of removing paper. It is about removing delay, reducing avoidable bureaucracy, strengthening transparency, and ensuring that government work can be tracked, measured, retrieved, and delivered with speed,” Walson-Jack added.
Galaxy Backbone’s Role
Walson-Jack commended Galaxy Backbone for providing critical digital public infrastructure, including the iGovernment cloud, GovMail, and high-speed internet. “You are not simply providing technology; you are supporting governance, enabling continuity, and helping government to work as one connected system. No digital government can stand without a strong backbone,” she said.
Data More Valuable Than Oil
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone, Professor Ibrahim Adeyanju, stated that digital data has eclipsed crude oil in global economic value, urging the federal government to accelerate its digital transformation policies. Addressing top government officials, private sector partners, and tech innovators, he emphasized that the global digital revolution has positioned data as the ultimate sovereign asset.
“Data is becoming bigger than oil, and data is not just oil, it’s actually the land. Who owns the data owns the land, and if you own the land, data means what happens on the land. Either you are looking for oil on the land, either you are using the land for agriculture, either you are building on the land. That’s what data has become today,” Adeyanju explained.
Summit Highlights
The summit, themed “Powering Nigeria’s Digital Transformation,” was attended by high-profile dignitaries, including representatives of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and the Special Adviser to the President on Power and Infrastructure, Sadiq Wanka.
Professor Adeyanju stressed that digital transformation must no longer be viewed merely as an IT upgrade but as a central pillar of national economic strategy. “Across the globe, nations are investing heavily in digital infrastructure because they recognize the simple truth. Those who lead digitally will lead economically,” he said.
Calling for a concerted effort to strengthen Nigeria’s “digital sovereignty,” he assured that Galaxy Backbone is repositioning itself to serve state governments and private enterprises, acting as a scalable enabler for the country’s evolving digital needs.
