The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Gwabin Musa (rtd), has charged the management and staff of the ministry that the era of physical file carrying is ending and the era of digital efficiency has begun.
He gave the charge during the launching of Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) Go-Live Project on Tuesday, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Ship House, Abuja.
Musa said that technology means the tool but staff dedication is the driver and urged all to embrace the new way of working with an open mind.
He informed that we are not just launching a software application to officially “Go-Live” with the ECMS but witnessing a fundamental shift in the way we conduct the business of national security.
The Minister stated that the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu Administration identifies digital transformation and bureaucratic efficiency as critical pillars of national growth.
“Therefore, the civil service which serves as the engine room of the agenda must be modernised to meet global standards,” he said.
Musa commended the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Esther Didi Walson-Jack, for her “visionary leadership” in setting the 31st December, 2025 as deadline for all extra-ministerial departments and agencies to go paperless and acknowledged that this transition would not have been possible without the strategic partnership of Galaxy Backbone.
He thanked the management of Galaxy Backbone for their technical expertise and the Ministry’s ICT team for working tirelessly to ensure that the “Go-Live” is a success.
“You have provided the digital veins through which our administrative lifeblood will not flow,” he added.
In her remarks, Walson-Jack said that the launch of ECMS is an initiative that will stand the test of time and that any occasion that strengthens efficiency, accountability and secure information management within the Civil service is a welcome one.
According to her, a Ministry such as Defence whose mandate is in the core of national sovereignty and security, effective record management is essential.
She said the event represents a deliberate and strategic statement of intent by a ministry responsible for defence policy formulation, strategic coordination, military administration and oversight of the Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
She commended the leadership of the Ministry for the foresight and the resolve that has birthed this “Go-Live” event.
“I am particularly encouraged by the Ministry’s commitment to meeting its digital content service delivery,” she said, adding that this aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda which envisions a public service that is efficient, accountable, responsive and digitally enabled.
The Head of service informed that the deployment of ECMS 1Government Cloud marks the fundamental shift of how government business is conducted and through this system the Ministry will benefit from secured digital records, automated workflows, electronic approvals and interoperability.
She reiterated that decision making will now be driven by timely access to timely information rather than delayed by the physical movement of files.
This milestone places the Ministry on track to meet the Federal Government directive for full digitalisation of work processes by December 31, 2025 and also directly advances pillar 5 of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and implementation 2021-2025 which prioritises the digitalisation processes across MDAs.
On his part, the Managing Director/CEO of Galaxy Backbone, Professor Ibrahim Adeyanju, said the launch represents a critical step in the journey towards greater efficiency, transparency and collaboration with the Ministry.
He stated that the 1Government Cloud ECMS is a sovereign solution designed to centralise content, enhance document security and empower staff with tools required to perform their duties effectively.
Adeyanju said this initiative aligns with Galaxy Backbone’s broader vision to transform government operations by connecting MDAs nationwide with secure, sovereign, reliable and intelligent digital platforms. “Our objectives enable every user to work efficiently, securely, productively thereby improving service delivery to Nigerians,” he added.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Richard Pheelangwa, said that the launch was a pivotal shift of transformation from paper to fully digital paperless environment as this is a direct call to modernised way of doing things.
He said that the transaction is strategic as efficiency in defence operations directly impacts the nation’s security. According to him by adopting ECMS we are ensuring that the movement of files, processing of approvals are timely and sensitive data are done with speed, accuracy and maximum security.
Pheelangwa acknowledged that the collaboration with Galaxy Backbone has been instrumental to our infrastructure resilience enough to support the high demand of a paperless ministry.
While thanking the management of Galaxy Backbone for standing with the ministry, he outlined the transformative benefits this launch will bring to the ministry to include: efficiency, cost effectiveness, transparency and accountability in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
