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.
Enitan, the most senior Permanent Secretary in the Federal Civil Service, will succeed Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who is due to retire after attaining the statutory retirement age of 60.
A native of Osun State, Enitan has served as a Permanent Secretary for seven years and seven months, during which he worked at the Ministry of Police Affairs, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the Office of the Vice President. He is currently the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education.
His appointment places an experienced career civil servant at the helm of the federal bureaucracy, with the Presidency highlighting his extensive institutional knowledge and understanding of the workings of the service.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu commended Walson-Jack for her contributions to the Civil Service, particularly the reforms, innovations and institutional impact recorded during her tenure. He expressed the nation’s appreciation for her years of dedicated public service and wished her success in retirement.
The President charged Enitan to consolidate ongoing reforms, deepen professionalism and efficiency, and build a more responsive and effective Civil Service capable of advancing the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He further tasked the incoming HCSF with leading a service that is merit-driven, accountable, innovative and responsive to the needs of Nigerians.
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 was announced on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, in a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.