First Lady Launches INSPIRE Initiative, Pushes For More Women In Top Civil Service Roles
State Correspondent
Nigeria’s push for a more inclusive and gender-responsive public service gained fresh momentum on Thursday as the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, officially launched the Inclusive Network for Supporting Progressive Leadership, Innovation, Reform and Equity for Women (INSPIRE), with a strong call for women to occupy more leadership positions in the Federal Civil Service.
Speaking at the International Civil Service Conference held at Eagle Square, Abuja, Senator Tinubu said empowering women within government institutions was critical to strengthening governance, improving service delivery and advancing national development.
The First Lady declared that inclusion must go beyond symbolism and translate into real opportunities for women to influence decisions, shape reforms and contribute meaningfully to national progress.
She described INSPIRE as a strategic intervention designed to provide mentorship, leadership development and stronger workplace participation for women across all levels of the Civil Service.
According to her, the initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which she said is anchored on inclusion, productivity, economic growth and national transformation.
“When women are empowered, institutions become stronger, governance improves and citizens benefit from better service delivery,” she said, stressing that the programme was not only important for women but essential for national progress.
The First Lady noted that leadership development for women should begin early and not only when they attain senior management positions, adding that young female officers who receive proper mentorship today could become future Permanent Secretaries, Ministers and national leaders.
She urged women in the Civil Service to invest in innovation, digital skills and professional growth while remaining committed to integrity and excellence in service delivery.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Esther Walson-Jack, said INSPIRE was created to dismantle structural barriers that have historically limited women’s advancement within the public sector.
Walson-Jack said the programme would provide a structured framework for leadership development, mentorship, policy advocacy and career visibility for women from junior to senior levels in the Federal Civil Service.
She said evidence globally had shown that institutions with gender-inclusive leadership consistently deliver stronger outcomes, innovation and resilience.
“Reform must carry women along. Innovation must benefit from women’s ideas. Leadership must recognise women’s capacity. Results must reflect the full strength of our workforce,” she declared.
The Head of Service also commended the support of UN Women and other development partners for backing the initiative.
Also speaking, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said the underrepresentation of women at senior decision-making levels in the Civil Service remained a major governance challenge despite women constituting a substantial part of the workforce.
She warned that Nigeria could no longer afford institutional systems that limit women’s advancement, citing estimates that women’s economic exclusion costs the country up to 37 per cent in productivity losses.
The minister called for full implementation of policies supporting women, including six-month maternity leave, workplace crèches, zero tolerance for harassment, gender-responsive budgeting and deliberate leadership pipelines for women through mentorship and succession planning.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim described INSPIRE as a timely initiative that would complement ongoing implementation of the National Gender Policy and the Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy.
The INSPIRE initiative was launched as part of activities at the 2026 International Civil Service Conference themed “Reforms, Resilience and Results.”
