ABUJA/Nigeria: The Federal Civil Service has begun a new leadership phase with the formal assumption of office by Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF).
The development was announced in a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, following Enitan’s swearing-in by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, on Thursday.
Enitan’s assumption of office followed the retirement of Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who completed her statutory service after attaining the mandatory retirement age of 60. His appointment had been approved by President Tinubu on August 19 and took effect on August 27.
The transition was formally completed with Walson-Jack presenting her handover note to Enitan, covering her tenure from August 14, 2024, to August 27, 2026. The two officials subsequently sealed the transfer of responsibility with a handshake.
Tinubu congratulated Enitan and tasked him with maintaining high standards of professionalism, integrity, accountability and efficiency in the Federal Civil Service.
The President had, at the time of announcing the appointment, described Enitan as the most senior Permanent Secretary in the Federal Civil Service and highlighted his experience across several government institutions.
The new Head of Service, 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 Nasarawa State University, Keffi.
He began his federal civil service career in 1998 as a Senior Operations Officer with the now-discontinued Family Economic Advancement Programme (FEAP).
Enitan later served at the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs before moving to the Office of the Vice President, where he worked as Chief Administrative Officer and rose to the rank of Director between 2010 and 2018.
He was appointed Permanent Secretary in December 2018 and subsequently served in the Federal Civil Service Commission and the Ministries of Environment, Police Affairs, Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction and Education.
Before his appointment as Head of Service, he was the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education and had emerged as the most senior Permanent Secretary in the service.
At the swearing-in ceremony were the immediate past Head of Service, Walson-Jack, and her husband, Hon. Nimi Walson-Jack; Enitan’s wife, Mrs Olawunmi Ololade Enitan; and the Permanent Secretary, State House, Mr Temitope Fashedemi, among other officials.
With Enitan now in office, he assumes responsibility for providing administrative leadership to the Federal Civil Service and supporting the implementation of reforms aimed at improving professionalism, efficiency and responsiveness in public administration.
