President Bola Tinubu has appointed Abel Enitan as the new Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, effective August 27, 2026.
The State House disclosed this in a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday.
Enitan, who is from Osun State, will succeed Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who is due to retire from the Federal Civil Service after attaining the statutory retirement age of 60.
The incoming Head of Service is currently the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education and is the most senior Permanent Secretary in the Federal Civil Service.
He has spent seven years and seven months as a Permanent Secretary, serving at the Ministry of Police Affairs, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the Office of the Vice President.
President Tinubu tasked Enitan with building on ongoing reforms while strengthening professionalism, accountability and responsiveness across the Federal Civil Service.
The President also urged him to lead a service that is “professional, merit-driven, accountable, innovative, and responsive to Nigerians’ needs and aspirations.”
Tinubu expressed appreciation to Walson-Jack for her service to the country, citing the reforms, impact and innovations recorded during her tenure.
The President wished the outgoing Head of Service “a fulfilling and successful life after service” and conveyed the nation’s gratitude for her years of public service.
Enitan was born on December 12, 1966. He attended Ajibode Grammar School, Ibadan, and the College of Arts and Science, Ile-Ife, before proceeding to the University of Lagos, where he obtained a B.Sc. in Finance and Banking in 1988.
He later earned an M.Sc. in Public Policy Analysis from Nasarawa State University, Lafia, in 2015.
The appointment places a career civil servant with more than seven years of Permanent Secretary-level experience at the helm of Nigeria’s federal bureaucracy as the Tinubu administration pushes its Renewed Hope Agenda.