President Bola Tinubu has sworn in Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan as the new Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, charging him to uphold professionalism, integrity, accountability and efficiency.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sworn in Enitan Abel Olumuyiwa as the new Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF), formally ushering in a new leadership of Nigeria’s federal civil service.
Enitan took the oath of office on Thursday, August 27, 2026, during a brief ceremony at the State House in Abuja, following the retirement of his predecessor, Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who attained the statutory retirement age of 60. The formal handover also took place on Thursday, with Walson-Jack presenting her handover note to her successor.
President Tinubu had announced Enitan’s appointment on August 19, 2026, with the appointment taking effect from August 27. At the time of his appointment, Enitan was the most senior Permanent Secretary in the Federal Civil Service and had served as a Permanent Secretary for seven years and seven months.
The President congratulated the new Head of Service and charged him to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, accountability and efficiency in the Nigerian Civil Service.
Tinubu had earlier urged Enitan to consolidate ongoing reforms and innovations in the civil service while deepening professionalism and efficiency across the service and building a more effective and responsive bureaucracy capable of delivering the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Enitan succeeds Walson-Jack, who served as Head of the Civil Service from August 2024 until her retirement. The outgoing HoCSF was present at the swearing-in ceremony alongside her husband, Hon. Nimi Walson-Jack.
Also present were Mrs Olawunmi Ololade Enitan, wife of the new Head of Service, and the Permanent Secretary, State House, Mr Peter Fashedemi.
Born on December 12, 1966, Enitan is an indigene of Osun State. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Lagos and a Master’s degree in Public Policy Analysis from Nasarawa State University, Keffi.
He joined the Federal Civil Service in 1998 as a Senior Operations Officer with the now-discontinued Family Economic Advancement Programme (FEAP).
Enitan subsequently served in the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs before moving to the Office of the Vice President at the State House, where he served as Chief Administrative Officer and rose to the rank of Director between 2010 and 2018.
He was appointed Permanent Secretary in December 2018 and posted to the Federal Civil Service Commission. He later served in several key ministries, including Environment, Police Affairs, Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, before becoming Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education.
His appointment as Head of the Civil Service places him at the centre of the administration of Nigeria’s federal bureaucracy, with responsibility for providing professional and administrative leadership to the Federal Civil Service.
The transition comes at a time when the Federal Government is pursuing reforms aimed at improving public-sector efficiency, strengthening accountability and modernising service delivery.
With his extensive experience across several government institutions, Enitan is expected to build on the reforms initiated by his predecessor while advancing the President’s objective of a more professional, merit-driven, innovative and responsive civil service.
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