President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan as the new Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), effective August 27, 2026.
The presidency disclosed the appointment in a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
Enitan will succeed Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who is due to retire from the Federal Civil Service after attaining the statutory retirement age of 60.
He has spent seven years and seven months as a Permanent Secretary, serving across the Ministry of Police Affairs, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the Office of the Vice President before his current posting to the Ministry of Education.
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What they are saying
Enitan is currently the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education and is the most senior Permanent Secretary in the Federal Civil Service.
President Tinubu charged the incoming Head of Service with consolidating reforms and innovations already underway across the Federal Civil Service.
- “Enitan brings considerable institutional experience and a deep understanding of how the Federal Civil Service works to his new responsibility,” the statement reads in part.
He also directed Enitan to deepen professionalism and efficiency within the service and build a more effective and responsive civil service capable of delivering on the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Tinubu also expressed appreciation to Walson-Jack for her service to the country, particularly the reforms, innovations and other impacts recorded in the Civil Service during her tenure.
He wished the outgoing Head of Service a fulfilling and successful life after her retirement and commended her years of dedicated public service.
Meet Abel Enitan
Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan’s appointment as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation caps a career spanning more than three decades in Nigeria’s public service, with experience across finance, policy, administration and several federal ministries.
Born on December 12, 1966, Enitan began his education in Ibadan, attending Ajibode Grammar School before proceeding to the College of Arts and Science, Ile-Ife.
- He later attended the University of Lagos, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Banking in 1988. Nearly three decades later, he furthered his education with a Master of Science degree in Public Policy Analysis from Nasarawa State University, Lafia, which he obtained in 2015.
- His career in the Federal Civil Service subsequently progressed through several senior administrative roles, culminating in his appointment as a Permanent Secretary.
- Enitan has spent seven years and seven months as a Permanent Secretary, serving across the Ministry of Police Affairs, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, and the Office of the Vice President.
In September 2023, he assumed office as Permanent Secretary of the then Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, where he urged management and staff to support the implementation of President Tinubu’s eight-point agenda and efforts to restore hope to vulnerable Nigerians.
His next major posting came in March 2025, when he assumed office as Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education. Upon taking over on March 27, he tasked directors and staff with improving service delivery, stressing the importance of protecting the future of the country through effective management of the ministry’s human and capital resources.
Enitan is now the most senior Permanent Secretary in the Federal Civil Service. His appointment as Head of Service will see him move from managing individual ministries and government institutions to overseeing the wider machinery of the Federal Civil Service.
What you should know
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation is responsible for coordinating and driving reforms across Nigeria’s federal civil service, including strengthening professionalism, efficiency, accountability and effective service delivery.
- The office also plays a central role in managing the administrative structure of the Federal Civil Service, overseeing policies affecting civil servants and ensuring that government ministries, departments and agencies operate in line with approved public service rules and reforms.
- Enitan is taking over the position from Didi Esther Walson-Jack, whom President Bola Tinubu appointed as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation effective August 14, 2024.
- His appointment comes as the Federal Government continues to pursue reforms aimed at changing how civil servants work, earn and engage with the wider economy.
- In February, the Securities and Exchange Commission moved to encourage Nigerian civil servants to participate more actively in the capital market, with the regulator highlighting investment opportunities as a way to strengthen retirement security and improve access to housing.
The initiative reflects a broader push to improve the financial wellbeing of public servants beyond their regular salaries and pensions.
In April, the Federal Government also approved increases in allowances and welfare benefits for civil servants, a move aimed at improving take-home pay across the public service.
These developments form part of the broader environment in which Enitan will assume the leadership of the Federal Civil Service, with the President tasking him to consolidate ongoing reforms, deepen professionalism and efficiency, and build a more responsive and accountable public service.
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