Keyamo, Walson-Jack Officially Launch 1Gov ECMS for Aviation Ministry

Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, and Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, Thursday unveiled the Enterprise Content System (ECMS) for the aviation ministry.

Walson-Jack, in her address at the official launch of the system in Abuja, said the launch was not just about technology. She said it was about safety, accountability, institutional memory, and service excellence.

It was about ensuring that aviation and aerospace policies, certifications, programmes, and oversight functions were supported by reliable records and timely access to accurate information, without unnecessary delays, she further clarified.

Walson-Jack stated, “It is a pleasure to be here today at the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development for the official launch of the Enterprise Content Management System.

“Any day we gather to reduce paper, speed up work, and locate files without embarking on a search-and-rescue mission is a good day indeed. This ministry occupies a strategic position in Nigeria’s national development architecture, enabling connectivity, trade, tourism, security, and technological advancement.

“Today’s event is far more than the deployment of a digital system. It is a deliberate statement of intent by a ministry whose mandate spans aviation regulation, airport development, air transport services, meteorology, and the expanding aerospace ecosystem.”

The head of service asserted that in a sector where safety, accuracy, and timeliness were non-negotiable, relying on paper files that occasionally developed wings of their own was no longer sustainable.

She said, “I commend the leadership of this ministry for the foresight and resolve that have brought us to this Go Live event, and I applaud the directors and staff for embracing change.

“In a technically intensive ministry where documentation underpins safety standards and international obligations, choosing to go digital is not just progressive but essential.”

Walson-Jack said, “With today’s launch, I am pleased to formally welcome the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development into the growing community of Enterprise Content Management System users across the Federal Civil Service.

“You are joining a movement that is discovering, sometimes as pleasant surprise, that digital files do not hide in cupboards, disappear into drawers, or wait patiently for someone to remember where they were kept.

“The deployment of the ECMS on the 1Gov Cloud platform represents a fundamental shift in how Public Service business is conducted.

“Through this system, the ministry will benefit from secure digital records, automated workflows, electronic approvals, interoperability, and real-time collaboration.”

She said the most important feature of the system was that decisions would be driven by timely access to information rather than physical location of files.

“This milestone places the ministry firmly on track to meet the federal government’s directive for full digitalisation of work processes by 31 December 2025,” she stated.

Walson-Jack said, “The era of paper-based processing within this ministry must give way to disciplined digital practice.

“All official correspondence, therefore, should henceforth be routed through the provided link.”

Keyamo stated, “It appears that this system, the 1Gov, ECMS is designed for aviation. Let me explain why. I may be wrong but aviation is the ministry that deals with the whole network of airports, branches, everything.

“It’s also one ministry where you don’t have all the agencies in Lagos, in Abuja. Everywhere you have an airport, you have a whole ministry of aviation at that airport. I hope you know that.

“Because you have MiMed, you have NCAA, you have FAAN, all that are present for the safety, security of that airport. So, you have a whole ministry present at every airport. The whole network of operations will go on at that airport.

“So, you can imagine before today, the number of papers we put back and forth from all of these networks of airport. And of course, you know, the headquarters of FAAN in Lagos and all these other offices across the country.”

The aviation minister added, “We are now fully digital, fully automated or automation driven. So, it is a happy situation for us here. It eliminates manual bottlenecks, shortens approval cycles, strengthens service delivery across all units of our ministry.

“For also the country as a whole, this unified platform guarantees also national sovereignty of our digital infrastructure.”