Musa commended the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Esther Didi Walson-Jack, mni, for her visionary leadership, particularly for setting 31 December 2025 as the deadline for all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to go paperless. He also acknowledged the strategic partnership of Galaxy Backbone Limited and praised the Ministry’s ICT team for their tireless efforts in ensuring the success of the Go-Live project.
In her remarks, Mrs Walson-Jack described the launch of ECMS as a milestone initiative that will stand the test of time, noting that any reform that strengthens efficiency, accountability and secure information management in the civil service is highly welcome. She emphasised that for a ministry such as Defence—whose mandate lies at the heart of national sovereignty and security—effective records management is indispensable.
She explained that the deployment of ECMS on the 1Government Cloud represents a fundamental change in how government business is conducted, enabling secure digital records, automated workflows, electronic approvals and interoperability across government systems. According to her, decision-making will now be driven by timely access to information rather than delayed by the physical movement of files.
The Head of Service added that the milestone positions the Ministry of Defence to meet the Federal Government’s directive on full digitalisation by the end of 2025 and directly advances Pillar Five of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021–2025, which focuses on digital transformation across MDAs.
On his part, the Managing Director/CEO of Galaxy Backbone, Professor Ibrahim Adeyanju, said the launch marks a critical step toward greater efficiency, transparency and collaboration within government. He described the 1Government Cloud ECMS as a sovereign solution designed to centralise content, enhance document security and empower public servants with modern tools to improve service delivery to Nigerians.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Mr Richard Pheelangwa, described the launch as a pivotal transition from paper-based operations to a fully digital, paperless environment. He noted that efficiency in defence administration directly impacts national security and that the adoption of ECMS will ensure faster processing of approvals, secure handling of sensitive data and improved operational effectiveness.
Pheelangwa acknowledged Galaxy Backbone’s role in providing resilient digital infrastructure to support the Ministry’s paperless vision and outlined the key benefits of the system to include efficiency, cost-effectiveness, transparency and accountability, all in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government.
