By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sworn in Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan as the new Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, succeeding Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who retired after attaining the mandatory retirement age of 60.
The brief swearing-in ceremony took place on Thursday, 27 August, 2026 at the State House, Abuja, marking the commencement of Enitan’s tenure as the nation’s Chief Administrative Officer, following his nomination by President Tinubu as the most senior Permanent Secretary on August 19, 2026.
The ceremony was attended by the former Head of Service, Walson-Jack, alongside her husband, Nimi Walson-Jack, as well as the wife of the new Head of Service, Olawunmi Ololade Enitan, and the Permanent Secretary, State House, Peter Fashedemi.
President Tinubu congratulated the new Head of Service and urged him to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, accountability and efficiency in the Nigerian Civil Service.
Enitan, an indigene of Osun State, was born on December 12, 1966. 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 the Nasarawa State University, Keffi.
He joined the Federal Civil Service in 1998 as a Senior Operations Officer at the now-discontinued Family Economic Advancement Programme (FEAP), before proceeding to serve at the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.
Enitan was subsequently posted 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, after which he served in the Ministries of Environment, Police Affairs, Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, and Education, prior to his latest appointment as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
This was contained in a statement issued on Thursday, 27 August, 2026, by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
