Federal Government has banned the use of personal email accounts such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail and Hotmail for official government transactions, directing civil servants to adopt secure institutional platforms using the approved .gov.ng domain.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Esther Walson-Jack, announced the directive in Abuja during a digital transformation summit organised to mark the 20th anniversary of Galaxy Backbone.
Walson-Jack said the measure was aimed at strengthening data security, improving accountability and ensuring effective record management across the federal civil service.
According to her, more than 115,000 official GovMail accounts have been activated to facilitate secure, professional and traceable communication within government institutions.
She said government operations should no longer depend on personal email services or informal communication channels that make documentation and record-keeping difficult.
“The use of secure institutional platforms is critical to safeguarding sensitive government information and ensuring continuity in public service operations,” she said.
The Head of Service explained that official records and communications must remain within government-controlled systems, even after public officers leave their positions.
She noted that the policy would help preserve institutional memory and prevent the loss of important government information tied to individual employees.
Walson-Jack also disclosed that the Federal Government had successfully completed the digitalisation of work processes across all 38 federal ministries and extra-ministerial departments before the end of December 2025.
She described the achievement as a major milestone in the ongoing reform of the public service, demonstrating the capacity of government institutions to embrace modern methods of operation.
According to her, the digital transformation initiative has significantly reduced delays associated with traditional paper-based processes and enhanced transparency in government operations.
She recalled that in the past, official files were often delayed, misplaced or trapped in lengthy approval processes.
“Digital systems now make it easier to track documents, monitor progress, improve accountability and ensure timely service delivery,” she said.
Walson-Jack added that the paperless civil service initiative was designed to improve efficiency by reducing bureaucracy, accelerating service delivery, enhancing transparency and enabling faster retrieval and processing of official records.
