The Acting National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of SERVICOM Presidency, Mrs. Helen Lawal, has reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to citizen-focused service delivery across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) as the 2026 Global Customer Service Week entered day four.
Mrs. Lawal stated this during her official engagements at the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) and the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) on 8th October, 2026 in Abuja. She emphasised that “this year’s global theme, “THE EXTRA MILE “, serves as a vital call to action for public institutions to elevate service delivery, foster innovation, and build public trust across Nigeria”.
In her keynote addresses at both institutions, Mrs. Lawal highlighted that going the extra mile was essential to transforming modern public service into a proactive, empathetic, and accountable enterprise. She stated that the theme aligned directly with SERVICOM’s core mandate of service excellence, integrity, accountability, efficiency, and commitment, describing it as a strategic directive to elevate public sector performance.
According to her, modern public service must consistently exceed customer expectations through proactive engagement and institutional synergy. To achieve this, she urged public agencies to deepen customer engagement through faster support channels such as WhatsApp support lines, instant chat desks, and dedicated call centers, while encouraging service departments to collaborate closely with ICT units to resolve citizen complaints within hours rather than days. She also stressed the importance of internal customer care, noting that leadership must prioritise employee engagement to ensure frontline staff feel valued and motivated to deliver world-class service. Mrs. Lawal also commended NDIC for its customer-centric innovations, particularly praising the Service Level Agreement Management System (SLAMS) used to evaluate departmental performance against service standards.
In his welcome address, the Managing Director and Chief Executive, Mr. Thompson Oludare Sunday, welcomed the SERVICOM delegation and described Customer Service Week as “an opportunity to reflect on institutional achievements and celebrate the workforce driving them”. He remarked that for over three decades, the NDIC had remained a vital pillar of Nigeria’s financial safety net through deposit insurance, bank supervision alongside the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), failure resolution, and liquidation. He emphasised that “going the extra mile is best demonstrated in daily acts of responsiveness, empathy, and cross-functional collaboration”. Citing the Corporation’s ASCENDS restructuring program and its refreshed Strategic Plan built on the core values of EPIIC: Excellence, Professionalism, Integrity, Innovation, and Collaboration, the Managing Director urged “all staff to embed service excellence into their daily routine well beyond the one-week celebration.”
Reinforcing the Corporation’s mandate, the Director of the Strategy Development Department at NDIC, Mrs. Uduak Zachary Gwa elaborated on the tangible outcomes of going the extra mile, revealing that the NDIC has achieved a cumulative payout of ₦69.65 billion to insured depositors and ₦157.63 billion to uninsured depositors. She noted that “behind every payout is a depositor seeking reassurance, and behind every achievement are dedicated staff driving the vision of making NDIC a world-class deposit insurer.” She further highlighted NDIC’s expanding international leadership, including its nominations to International Association of Deposit Insurers (IADI) committees and its hosting of the 2026 IADI Africa Regional Committee meeting, which brought together 88 delegates from 20 countries.
There were goodwill messages from the Executive Director of Corporate Services, Mrs. Emily Osuji and the Executive Director of Operations, Dr. Kabir Sabo Katata. The session was wrapped up with a vote of thanks from the NDIC Nodal Officer, Mrs. Chinyere Ogunsakin who commended management for supporting the SERVICOM Unit. She also inspired her colleagues to let the celebration motivate them to continuously go the extra mile.
During her visit to the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Mrs. Lawal applauded the Executive Chairman, Management, and the SERVICOM Department for creating platforms to recognise frontline personnel who handle day-to-day tax inquiries, dispute resolutions, and taxpayer registrations.
Welcoming the delegation on behalf of the Executive Chairman Dr. Zacch Adedeji, the Chief of Staff, Mr. Tayo Koleosho, stated that providing excellent service to taxpayers, who are citizens first “is not a temporary exercise but a permanent culture that must extend across every touchpoint, including security personnel at the gates.” Mrs. Lawal commended the NRS for adopting digital innovations such as Rev360, an integrated tax administration platform that automates registration, filing, payment, and account management to streamline taxpayer experiences.
A major highlight of the event at the NRS was the presentation of a monumental hand-knitted crocheted map of Nigeria to the representative of the Executive Chairman by Yeye Adesola Oyinloye-Ndu, Special Assistant on Customer Centricity. She explained that the intricate map was crafted by fifteen female artisans representing Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, who went the extra mile by contributing their time and personal funds without seeking financial assistance from the agency. Describing the artwork as a powerful symbol of unity, creativity, patience, and national pride, Yeye Oyinloye-Ndu noted that the collaborative effort demonstrated that despite diverse cultural backgrounds, Nigerians remain stronger together.
The Acting Director of SERVICOM at NRS brought the event to a close with a vote of thanks, appreciating the SERVICOM Presidency leadership and urging revenue officers to make going the extra mile their standard practice in serving the public.
Aderemi Ajibola Adelabu anipr
Public Awareness Manager
SERVICOM Office, Presidency
8th October, 2026
