President Bola Tinubu has sworn in Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan as the new Head of the Civil Service of the Federation formally handing him responsibility for the leadership and coordination of Nigeria’s federal civil service.
The ceremony, held at the State House in Abuja, followed the retirement of Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who left office after attaining the statutory retirement age of 60.
Enitan’s assumption of office marks a transition at the top of the federal bureaucracy after Walson-Jack’s two-year tenure as Head of Service, which began on August 14, 2024.
During the formal handover, Walson-Jack presented her successor with a handover note covering her tenure from August 14, 2024, to August 27, 2026.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by the Permanent Secretary, State House, Temitope Fashedemi, alongside other senior government officials. The formal transfer of responsibility was completed after Enitan and Walson-Jack signed the relevant official documents.
Enitan, an indigene of Osun State, was the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education before his elevation.
At the time of his appointment, he was the most senior Permanent Secretary in the Federal Civil Service, a factor highlighted by the Presidency in announcing his selection.
He had spent seven years and seven months as a Permanent Secretary, serving across several key government institutions, including the Ministry of Police Affairs, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, the Office of the Vice President and the Federal Ministry of Education.
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His career across multiple ministries and government offices has given him experience in different areas of federal administration and placed him in senior positions within the public service for several years.
The Presidency said his experience had given him considerable institutional knowledge and an understanding of the operations of the Federal Civil Service as he assumed the new responsibility.
His appointment comes as the Federal Civil Service continues efforts to modernize its operations, improve efficiency and expand the use of digital tools in government administration.
Walson-Jack, during her tenure, placed considerable emphasis on the digitalization and transformation of the civil service.
In an interview shortly before her retirement, she said the service needed to take greater ownership of its transformation and ensure that reforms became embedded within the institution.
Her tenure also included efforts aimed at strengthening institutional processes and promoting a more digitally driven public service.
As Enitan begins his tenure, the continuity of such reforms will form part of the broader administrative responsibilities facing the new Head of Service.
Walson-Jack’s retirement followed 34 years in public service. She began her career as a State Counsel with the Rivers State Ministry of Justice in 1992 before rising through the public service to become Head of the Civil Service of the Federation in 2024.
With the transition now completed, Enitan assumes the top administrative position in the Federal Civil Service at a time when effective public-sector management, institutional continuity and ongoing reforms remain central to the functioning of government.
His extensive experience as a Permanent Secretary across several government institutions is expected to shape his approach as he begins his tenure and takes responsibility for coordinating the federal civil service.
NAN
