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Landing a high-paying client as a writer, designer, or video editor brings pure excitement. Many creatives quickly scroll to the signature page without reading the terms.

Signing a bad agreement can trap you in endless unpaid labor, strip away your portfolio rights, or delay your payments indefinitely. Unclear and unfair contract terms remain among the top reasons independent professionals lose revenue and legal control over their creative output.

In this article, Tribune Online examines five critical contract clauses that creative workers frequently overlook and how you can safeguard your craft.

Unlimited revisions without extra pay

Clients frequently insert broad phrasing like ‘revisions until client satisfaction’ into agreements. This vague statement allows a client to demand dozens of complete redesigns or rewrites without offering an additional kobo.

You end up spending weeks on a project that was budgeted for only three days of work. Always ensure your contract states a clear cap of two or three revision rounds, with any extra edits billed at an agreed hourly rate.

Vague or extended payment timelines

A common trap is agreeing to ambiguous terms like ‘payment upon final completion’ or long cycles such as Net-60 and Net-90.

These clauses mean you may wait two to three months after submission before your bank account gets credited.

Ensure every contract clearly defines a milestone-based schedule, upfront deposit terms, and a strict Net-15 or Net-30 payment window from the invoice date.

Full intellectual property transfer before payment

Some agreements state that the client automatically owns all rights, trademarks, and copyright immediately upon the creation of the work.

If the client cancels the gig or refuses to pay your balance, they can legally take your concept and use it anyway.

Protect your work by insisting that intellectual property rights transfer to the client strictly after full and final settlement of your fees.

Extreme non-compete and exclusivity clauses

Overly broad non-compete clauses can prevent you from working with any other business in the same industry for six months to two years.

For an independent worker, this can completely dry up your pipeline and stop you from taking on new local or international gigs.

Ensure any exclusivity requirement is strictly limited to direct project competitors and only lasts for the exact duration of the active project.

Missing cancellation fees

Projects can stop abruptly due to a client’s budget cuts or leadership changes through no fault of your own.

If your contract lacks a ‘kill fee’ or formal termination clause, you will walk away empty-handed despite spending days conducting research and drafting outlines.

A solid agreement should guarantee that you keep your non-refundable deposit and receive compensation for all completed phases up to the cancellation date.

President of GLOBE Legislators International, Rt Hon Sam Onuigbo, has described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election for a second term as a matter of urgent national importance, saying the stakes for the 2027 presidential election are higher than they were in 2023.

Onuigbo, a former two-term member of the House of Representatives, said a second four-year term would give Tinubu the opportunity to consolidate, fine-tune and stabilise the reforms initiated by his administration.

He spoke on Friday while flagging off the Odozi-Obodo for Tinubu Campaign Movement at his country home in Odozi Obodo Hills, Obuohia Obi-Ibere, Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State.

According to him, Tinubu has made significant progress in repositioning Nigeria’s economy and deserves another term to consolidate the foundation already laid.

Onuigbo told supporters at the event that their presence demonstrated a collective resolve to work for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

He said despite what he described as confusion and manipulation surrounding the APC senatorial primary, he had decided against litigation, choosing instead to continue projecting the party and supporting the ideals of good governance and the consolidation of Tinubu’s reforms.

He said: ‘While I appreciate your unalloyed support, I want to use this opportunity to crave your indulgence for a committed approach to the campaigns for President Tinubu’s re-election for a second term in office.

‘There are so many reasons why we should keep our eyes on the ball to achieve this singular target of a second term for Mr President.

‘The stakes are higher now than when we joined the APC, especially because of the bold and courageous reforms the President has initiated under the aegis of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

‘Mr President deserves the support of every genuine Nigerian. I dare say that it is our bounden duty to keep supporting the President and work hard to ensure he wins the 2027 presidential election because he needs to consolidate the foundation already laid.’

Onuigbo urged members of the campaign movement to brace for more work ahead of the election, saying they were partners in the Renewed Hope Agenda.

He listed what he described as the achievements of the Tinubu administration and the reasons Nigerians, particularly those in the South-East, should support the President’s re-election.

According to him, Tinubu campaigned on policies including ending the parallel foreign exchange market, making Nigeria a preferred destination for foreign direct investment, removing fuel subsidy, diversifying the economy and promoting inclusive governance.

He said Tinubu’s decision to remove fuel subsidy on 29 May 2023 attracted widespread criticism at the time but had subsequently contributed to increased revenue available to the three tiers of government.

Onuigbo said Federation Account Allocation Committee funds distributed to the three tiers of government had increased from N711 billion in 2023 to N4.5 trillion in 2026.

He also cited increased refining capacity, crude oil production, foreign reserves and investment in education as evidence of the administration’s economic reforms.

He said Nigeria’s refining capacity had risen from about 30,000 barrels per day in 2023 to more than 700,000 barrels per day in 2026, while crude oil production had risen from about 1.3 million barrels per day in 2023 to more than 1.73 million barrels per day.

Onuigbo further claimed that the country’s foreign reserves had increased from $3.99 billion in 2023 to $51.9 billion in 2026, while more than N300 billion had been invested through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

He also said Tinubu’s foreign engagements had attracted more than $50 billion in foreign direct investment, including $20 billion in 2026 alone.

On economic growth, Onuigbo said Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product had grown from 2.74 per cent in 2023 to 3.9 per cent in the first half of 2026, citing the National Bureau of Statistics.

He attributed the growth largely to the non-oil sector, including financial technology, agriculture and solid minerals, which he said demonstrated progress in the administration’s economic diversification agenda.

The former federal lawmaker also highlighted what he described as Tinubu’s inclusive governance and interventions in the South-East.

He cited the appointment of service chiefs from the region, the establishment of the South-East Development Commission, the creation of new tertiary institutions, the proposed Enugu-Port Harcourt rail network, the approval and ongoing construction of Abia Airport, and the expansion of the Enugu and Owerri airports.

He also mentioned the approval granted to South-East governors to reconstruct some federal roads and receive reimbursement from the Federal Government.

Onuigbo said he was particularly grateful to Tinubu for the administration’s decision to restore delisted management courses at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.

He said the decision had expanded access to higher education, preserved existing jobs and created new employment opportunities in Ikwuano Local Government Area, Abia State and the wider South-East.

He added that the ongoing construction of the Federal Secretariat at Ekeoba Ohuhu in Umuahia North Local Government Area, 35 years after the creation of Abia State, was ‘the jewel on the crown.’

Onuigbo said he facilitated the two projects, adding that the Federal Government was also reconstructing major federal roads across the South-East.

Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has dismissed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s pledge to work with governors to reduce public transport fares as a ‘desperate and belated’ response to a cost-of-living crisis created by the administration.

Speaking on Friday through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the Federal Government’s own CNG conversion figures amounted to a ‘scorecard of failure’.

‘If Tinubu’s grand strategy for cushioning the consequences of his reckless and poorly thought-out subsidy removal is CNG conversion, then the admission that only about 120,000 vehicles have been converted in more than three years is not an achievement. It is an advertisement of policy failure,’ Atiku said.

‘Against widely cited estimates of roughly 14 million vehicles on Nigerian roads, 120,000 conversions amount to less than one per cent. That is the government’s own number. That is Tinubu marking his own examination script.

‘If a student returned less than one per cent in his core subject, WAEC would not call it progress. Yet Tinubu wants Nigerians to reward the political equivalent of that catastrophic score with another four years. The truth is simple: Nigeria cannot afford another four years of monumental failure.’

Atiku said Tinubu’s statement that ‘cheaper fuel should result in cheaper fares’ was a confession that the administration’s energy policy had been disconnected from the daily survival of Nigerians.

‘For more than three years, Nigerians begged this government for relief. Tinubu removed subsidy without a credible cushioning framework, watched transport costs explode, watched food prices follow, watched businesses suffocate under crushing energy costs, and repeatedly told Nigerians that their suffering was the unavoidable price of reform.

‘Now that elections are approaching, and Nigerians are rallying behind Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s proposal for a production-based subsidy to immediately tackle the cost-of-living crisis created by Tinubu, the same government that ridiculed and criticised Atiku’s plan has suddenly discovered that Nigerians need cheaper transportation.

‘This is medicine after death. You cannot break a man’s leg, abandon him in pain for three and a half years, then return with crutches and demand applause for compassion. Tinubu created the transport crisis; CNG cannot now be packaged as heroism,’ he said.

The ADC candidate argued that CNG could not solve a purchasing-power crisis.

‘CNG can make a converted bus cheaper to operate. It cannot make a poor Nigerian richer. That distinction demolishes the propaganda.

‘Go to the motor parks. Nigerians are travelling less because they cannot afford to travel. Workers calculate whether transport to work will swallow their wages. Traders are buying less because transportation is eating into their capital.

‘So what exactly has Tinubu solved if the bus becomes cheaper to operate but the passenger has become too poor to enter it? A cheaper bus without an affordable passenger is not economic recovery,’ Atiku stated.

He faulted the government’s timeline for relief, noting that Nigerians were being told to wait until October 1.

‘A bus driver does not buy tyres with a presidential statement. A market woman does not transport tomatoes with a government committee. A farmer does not move yam, rice and maize with promises. Spare parts, maintenance, food, rent and virtually every other operating cost have risen.

‘Nigerians are hungry today. Transport is expensive today. Food is expensive today. Businesses are dying today. Why must relief arrive by appointment?’

Atiku said the fundamental issue was purchasing power, not fuel type.

‘You cannot solve a purchasing-power crisis simply by changing the fuel inside a bus. What matters to the Nigerian worker is not merely whether the bus runs cheaply, but whether his salary can still afford the fare, food, rent, medicine, school fees and the basic dignity of life.

‘When fuel rises, transport rises. When transport rises, food rises. When food rises, the household shrinks. That is the economic chain Tinubu broke, and that is the chain Atiku intends to repair.’

He proposed a ‘targeted, transparent and fiscally capped subsidy linked to domestic production’ to bring down costs.

‘Fuel subsidy must return for struggling Nigerians, not the rich friends of the President and multinational companies, but a targeted production intervention that is transparently budgeted, independently audited and guarantees that the benefit reaches consumers.

‘We will support domestic refining. We will track every barrel. We will cap the cost. We will reduce energy costs. And we will ensure that money and relief reach the commuter, farmer, worker, trader and small business owner – not politically connected middlemen.

‘That is the difference between Tinubu and Atiku: Tinubu manufactures hardship and distributes palliatives. Atiku will attack hardship at its source,’ Atiku said.

‘President Tinubu, Nigerians have paid enough for your economic experiment. Too little. Too inadequate. Too late. Your time is up. Prepare your handover. We are coming to make life affordable again.’

Scores of suspected bandits have reportedly been killed as troops of the Nigerian Army launched a major clearance operation against armed groups in Maikujera, Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

The operation, which was ongoing as of Friday, reportedly involved the deployment of Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and other military assets as troops moved to dislodge the bandits from the area.

Local sources familiar with the operation told our correspondent that the troops had gained the upper hand, forcing several of the suspected bandits to flee into nearby forests and farms.

One of the sources said the bandits attempted to use rustled cattle as human shields during the confrontation, resulting in the loss of a large number of livestock.

‘The military has fully mobilised for this operation, and the troops are pursuing the bandits who are trying to escape through the surrounding bushes,’ a resident of Maikujera told our correspondent in a telephone interview.

The source added that some of the fleeing bandits reportedly abandoned their weapons while attempting to evade the advancing troops.

‘Some of them abandoned their rifles and ran into nearby farms, using the thick vegetation as cover. Others were repeatedly seen trying to ascend a nearby hill as they came under pressure from the soldiers,’ he said.

Investigations by our correspondent indicated that the suspected bandits were allegedly linked to notorious bandit kingpin Bello Turji and had been moving rustled cattle from Gandi and other neighbouring communities in Rabah LGA towards hideouts in Sabon Birni and Isa LGAs through the expansive Gundumi Forest.

Sources said some of the cattle dispersed into the surrounding forests after the bandits came under military attack, while efforts were ongoing to recover the animals.

Confirming the military operation, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Army’s 8 Division, Lt Col Olaniyi Osoba, said the operation was ‘hugely successful’ but declined to provide further details immediately.

According to him, the Army would release more information on the operation in due course.

Residents of Maikujera and neighbouring communities have expressed relief over the military intervention, urging the security forces to sustain the offensive and prevent the fleeing bandits from regrouping.

The mop-up operation was still ongoing in the surrounding bushes and areas linking Rabah, Sabon Birni and Isa Local Government Areas as of the time of filing this report.

Propak West Africa, one of the leading manufacturing and packaging exhibitions in the region, is set to return to Lagos from September 8 to 10, with local and international exhibitors expected to showcase technologies and solutions across the manufacturing and processing sectors.

The exhibition, organised by Montgomery Group Africa, will take place at the Landmark Centre, Lagos, bringing together manufacturers, technology providers and industry professionals from Nigeria, other parts of West Africa and beyond.

The event will focus on the packaging, plastics, print, labelling and food processing industries, with emphasis on productivity, efficiency, sustainability, automation and digital technologies.

According to the organisers, the exhibition will provide manufacturers with opportunities to examine new machinery, materials and technologies, compare solutions and engage directly with technical specialists and industry experts.

A dedicated conference for production and packaging professionals will also hold alongside the exhibition, offering insights into trends, innovations and operational strategies shaping the future of manufacturing and packaging.

The organisers said the growing participation of international exhibitors and regional manufacturers reflects West Africa’s increasing importance in the global manufacturing and packaging industry.

Among the local and regional exhibitors expected at the event are Beta Glass Nigeria, SBA Nigeria, PET Associates and Bristol Scientific Company.

International exhibitors include Windmöller and Hölscher, Reifenhäuser Blown Film, the Piovan Group, Nissei ASB Africa, Clearpack Group, Snetor and Vinmar International, among others.

The organisers said the participation of local companies would provide opportunities to engage customers, establish new business relationships and expand professional networks.

The exhibition will also place emphasis on sustainability and the circular economy, with support from organisations involved in manufacturing, food processing, packaging and recycling.

Among the supporting organisations are the Food and Beverage Alliance, Recyclers Association of Nigeria, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology, Consumer Advocacy for Food Safety and Nutrition Initiative, Advertisers Association of Nigeria, African Packaging Organisation and Advanced Institute of Packaging Professionals Nigeria.

The organisers also announced the participation of Girls Who Print Africa, a regional network focused on women in the print, packaging and graphic communications industry.

As part of the programme, Propak West Africa will partner with Girls Who Print Africa to host the maiden Women in Print and Packaging session on the first day of the Propak West Africa Summit.

The session will bring together industry leaders and professionals to discuss opportunities, challenges and pathways for increasing women’s participation and leadership in the sector.

Speaking ahead of the exhibition, Portfolio Director at Montgomery Group Africa, Mark Anderson, said the event had established itself as one of West Africa’s leading manufacturing and packaging exhibitions because of its focus on practical business value.

‘Propak West Africa has established itself as one of West Africa’s leading manufacturing and packaging events because it delivers real business value for visitors,’ Anderson said.

He added: ‘Whether companies are looking to improve productivity, reduce costs, enhance sustainability or explore new technologies, the exhibition provides the opportunity to compare solutions, speak directly with technical specialists and suppliers, and gain practical insights that can be applied in their own operations.

‘By bringing together international technology providers, regional manufacturers and industry stakeholders under one roof, Propak West Africa continues to drive innovation, support more sustainable manufacturing practices and contribute to the long-term growth and competitiveness of West Africa’s manufacturing sector.’

After more than three decades of meritorious and illustrious service to the nation, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, on Thursday, retired from the Federal Civil Service as the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, with the responsibility now placed on her successor, Mr. Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan to sustain the momentum.

For Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, the journey from a young State Counsel in the Rivers State Civil Service to the highest administrative office in Nigeria was never planned as a race for titles.

It was, instead, a career built around what she herself describes as a simple philosophy: ‘I planted, I believed, and I moved on.’

On Thursday, August 27, 2026, that remarkable journey formally came to an end as Walson-Jack retired from the Federal Civil Service after 34 years of meritorious service, having spent the final two years as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF). Her tenure marked by institution-building, reform and an unwavering commitment to duty.

But as she bowed out, the challenge she leaves behind is considerably larger than the story of one successful career.

It is the challenge of sustaining the momentum of reforms she helped drive at the heart of Nigeria’s bureaucracy.

Her successor, Mr Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan, who was sworn in by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the State House and assumed office as HCSF on August 27, inherits a Federal Civil Service undergoing perhaps its most significant transformation in decades.

The new Head of Service is therefore not merely taking over an office. Until his appointment, Enitan was the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education. He is taking responsibility for consolidating an emerging culture of digitalisation, professionalism, productivity, welfare, institutional accountability and citizen-centred service delivery.

Some civil servants have observed that the retirement of Walson-Jack represents more than the departure of another public servant, noting that it marks the end of a career that coincided with, and in many instances actively contributed to, some of the most important transitions in Nigeria’s public administration.

For decades, the Federal Civil Service had been criticised for bureaucracy, inefficiency, corruption, cumbersome procedures and an institutional culture often perceived as resistant to change.

Walson-Jack came to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) at a time when the demand for a more modern, professional and citizen-centred public service had become unavoidable.

According to a civil servant, Mr. Johnson Onuh with the Federal Ministry of Education, ‘In the last two years, Walson-Jack has been pushing aggressively towards digitalisation, professionalisation, staff welfare and institutional renewal.

‘The result is a civil service that, by the end of her tenure, had begun moving visibly away from paper-driven administration towards digital processes,’ he said.

Walson-Jack’s two years at the helm may have been relatively short, but the volume of reforms initiated or accelerated during the period has left Enitan with an enormous task: to ensure that the momentum does not slow down with the departure of the woman who championed it.

The symbolism of Walson-Jack’s retirement was captured in the titles of the two books she presented shortly before her exit: ‘I Planted: A Memoir of Purposeful Service’ and ‘Beyond the Mandate: A Memoir on Leadership, Legacy and Labour of Public Service.’

The books were presented in Abuja on August 25 as part of activities marking her retirement and 60th birthday.

The books were an attempt to document three decades of public administration and the lessons she gathered while moving through some of Nigeria’s most challenging institutions.

‘Thirty-four years is a long time to be entrusted with the people’s business,’ she said at the presentation.

‘It is long enough to plant things; institutions, systems, people, and to watch some of them grow taller than you.’ That philosophy explains much of the trajectory of her career.

A University of Lagos-trained lawyer and certified legislative drafter, Walson-Jack entered the Rivers State Civil Service in 1992 as a State Counsel in the Ministry of Justice after completing her National Youth Service Corps programme and briefly practising law in Port Harcourt.

However, when Bayelsa State was created on October 1, 1996, Walson-Jack became one of only seven pioneering Law Officers in the new state’s Ministry of Justice.

She recalled that the conditions were far from ideal, noting that the ministry operated from inadequate premises, while officers sometimes travelled from Port Harcourt to Yenagoa before dawn along difficult roads. Yet, the new state needed something fundamental: laws, institutions and a functioning legal architecture. Walson-Jack became part of the team that helped provide them.

Her legislative drafting expertise proved critical as she worked across the Ministry of Justice and State House of Assembly, contributing to the development of foundational legislation and training other officers in legislative drafting.

By July 2002, she had risen to Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Bayelsa State Ministry of Justice. Over seven years, she helped transform the pioneer ministry from seven Law Officers into an institution with 72 legal professionals working across ten specialised departments.

She also introduced reforms aimed at improving access to justice, including simplified probate procedures for small estates, benefiting widows and other vulnerable beneficiaries.

The ministry produced The Justice Gazette, established a Committee on the Quick Dispensation of Justice, worked on the Revised Laws of Bayelsa State, published the Bayelsa State Law Report and developed a practical handbook on official corruption for public officers.

Walson-Jack’s career later moved beyond law into broader executive administration. Between 2012 and 2014, she served successively as Deputy Chief of Staff, Commissioner for Science, Technology and Manpower Development, and Chief of Staff to the Governor of Bayelsa State.

In December 2014, she returned to the Federal Civil Service as a Director and subsequently served as Permanent Secretary across portfolios including Niger Delta Affairs, Power, Water Resources and Sanitation, Education and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

By the time President Tinubu appointed her Head of Service in August 2024, she had accumulated more than three decades of experience spanning law, policy implementation, human capital development, institutional reform and executive administration.

Her appointment placed her at the centre of efforts to transform a bureaucracy employing more than 100,000 federal civil servants.

In office, Walson-Jack championed reforms across the six pillars of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021-2025, while strengthening its critical enablers.

The results provide a substantial part of her legacy.

The number of Ministries, Departments and Agencies operating digitalised work processes increased from just three to 38. Official government email access expanded from fewer than 20,000 officers in August 2024 to more than 116,000 active accounts by August 2026.

The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation also transitioned into the integrated 1Gov Cloud environment, incorporating platforms such as GovMail, inMail, GovDrive and GovConference.

Some 15,800 civil servants received digital-skills training, while Walson-Jack pioneered the service-wide GPT initiative, an AI-enabled knowledge platform designed to provide faster access to Public Service Rules, circulars, policies and institutional information.

For a bureaucracy traditionally associated with paperwork and slow administrative processes, the significance of these changes cannot be overstated. The reform agenda was not, however, limited to technology.

Walson-Jack placed considerable emphasis on the welfare of civil servants. Among the initiatives during her tenure were the provision of 100 per cent annual emoluments as exit benefits for retiring officers, a N10 billion housing loan intervention under the Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board, approval of 100 per cent duty tour allowance for officers participating in approved capacity-development programmes, and a 40 per cent increase in peculiar allowances across CONPSS and CONRAISS.

A Personnel Audit and Skill Gap Analysis covering more than 90,000 officers was completed, while 100 electric buses were introduced to provide safer, more reliable and affordable transportation for federal civil servants.

Other institutional reforms included the development of a National HR Competency Framework, mechanisms for engaging former Heads of Service, a regional liaison office and the reintroduction of the Civil Service Anthem.

Stakeholders have observed that these initiatives have created expectations that would now confront Enitan.

At the Abuja book presentation, President Tinubu described Walson-Jack as a distinguished public servant and reformer who understood that public service was a calling to national purpose rather than a platform for personal achievement.

Represented by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN, the President said the Federal Civil Service remained indispensable to the success of government because policies and programmes ultimately depended on the machinery of the service for implementation and delivery.

He said his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda required a professional, competent, ethical, innovative and citizen-centred public service capable of translating government policies into tangible results.

The President also stressed the importance of digital transformation, including stronger integration between payroll and human-resource systems, as part of efforts to improve accountability, eliminate leakages and strengthen personnel management.

For Walson-Jack, the presidential endorsement represented a recognition of the institutional rather than personal character of the reforms.

The tributes that accompanied her retirement reflected the unusual breadth of Walson-Jack’s career.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, who had known her for more than two decades, described her journey as an example of perseverance, merit and integrity.

Jonathan thanked President Tinubu for appointing an indigene of Bayelsa State to the nation’s top civil service position, but stressed that the appointment should be understood primarily through the prism of competence.

For him, the lesson from Walson-Jack’s career was clear: Nigeria must put the right people in the right positions.

‘If integrity and merit are not considered, especially in the leadership of a country, if you compromise merit, then you cannot go anywhere,’ he said.

The National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who was Walson-Jack’s course mate at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, recalled meeting her 18 years ago and described her as a woman of dignity, discipline and distinction.

He told her that retirement represented only one chapter of her story. ‘The one year relating with her made me to believe that indeed, in her, something is going to happen,’ Ribadu said.

‘I believe this is not the end of the story for you. This is one chapter and another one is going to open.’

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State similarly urged Walson-Jack not to regard retirement as retirement from service to Nigeria, encouraging her to continue contributing to policy development and mentoring younger public servants.

Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State described her career as a source of pride to the state, her family and the Niger Delta.

Former SGF Boss Mustapha also placed Walson-Jack alongside former Heads of Service Folasade Yemi-Esan and Ekpenyong Oyo-Ita, describing the three women as among the finest the country had produced in the civil service.

Former Governor Seriake Dickson, under whom Walson-Jack served in Bayelsa, offered perhaps one of the most personal reflections.

He recalled her family background, particularly her late father, a literary figure and poet, and linked Walson-Jack’s own oratory and literary abilities to that heritage.

He also thanked President Tinubu for the decision to appoint her to the highest administrative position in the country.

At the formal handover, Walson-Jack made her expectation clear. She reminded civil servants that transformation of the Service was never about individuals but about Nigeria and the collective responsibility to provide citizens with quality services delivered by competent, professional and committed public servants. The message effectively defines the assignment awaiting Enitan.

The new HCSF acknowledged the enormity of the responsibility and commended his predecessor for laying a strong foundation for continued progress.

He pledged to build on the reforms already established while strengthening the EPIC Culture – Efficiency, Productivity, Incorruptibility and Citizen-Centredness – across the Service.