President Bola Tinubu has sworn in Abel Enitan as the new Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), following the retirement of his predecessor, Didi Walson-Jack.

Enitan took the oath of office on Thursday at a brief ceremony held at the State House in Abuja, formally assuming the top administrative position in Nigeria’s Federal Civil Service.

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His assumption of office followed Walson-Jack’s retirement after attaining the statutory retirement age of 60.

The formal transfer of responsibility also took place on Thursday, as Walson-Jack and Enitan signed the relevant official documents before the outgoing Head of Service handed over the official transition note to her successor.

Presenting the document, Walson-Jack said it covered the period from August 14, 2024, to August 27, 2026.

The handover was subsequently sealed with a handshake between the outgoing and incoming Heads of Service.

Enitan, an indigene of Osun State, became the most senior Permanent Secretary in the Federal Civil Service before his appointment as Head of Service.

He had served as a Permanent Secretary for seven years and seven months, during which he held senior positions in several government establishments.

His previous postings included the Ministry of Police Affairs, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the Office of the Vice President, before his deployment as Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education.

President Tinubu had on August 19, 2026, approved Enitan’s appointment, with the decision taking effect on August 27.

While announcing the appointment, Tinubu said Enitan brought “considerable institutional experience and a deep understanding of how the Federal Civil Service works” to the position.

The President charged the new Head of Service to consolidate ongoing reforms and innovations in the civil service while deepening professionalism, efficiency and accountability across the system.

Tinubu also tasked Enitan with ensuring that the Federal Civil Service remained professional, merit-driven, innovative and responsive to the needs and aspirations of Nigerians.

According to the President, the new Head of Service must build on existing reforms to strengthen the capacity of the service to deliver effective and efficient public administration.

The President also commended Walson-Jack for her service to the nation, particularly the reforms and innovations recorded in the Civil Service during her tenure.

Walson-Jack assumed office as Head of the Civil Service of the Federation in August 2024 and retired after completing her statutory service.

Who is Abel Enitan?

Enitan was born on December 12, 1966, and began his education at Ajibode Grammar School, Ibadan, before proceeding to the College of Arts and Science, Ile-Ife.

He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Banking from the University of Lagos in 1988 before joining the Federal Civil Service.

His extensive experience across several ministries and government institutions culminated in his emergence as the most senior Permanent Secretary before his appointment as Head of Service.

The Ogoni Dialogue Committee (ODC) has washed its hands off allegations that it influenced the selection of 40 employment slots Ogoni people at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) as part of the ongoing process for resumption of oil production in the area.

The ODC maintains that it had no role in the recruitment process, the committee, which is engaging the Federal Government on the resumption of oil and gas operations in Ogoniland, also denied allegations that it was awarded contracts or received funds from the Federal Government.

Speaking in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Wednesday, the ODC Chairman, Prof. Don Baridam, described the statements attributed to KAGOTE and other groups as false and misleading.

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He said the employment opportunities were among the confidence-building measures proposed by the Ogoni delegation to the Federal Government, but stressed that the ODC neither selected nor recruited the beneficiaries.

According to Baridam, NNPC Ltd drew the successful candidates from a pool of qualified Ogoni applicants already in its recruitment database, rather than from nominations made by the committee.

He said, “When the issue of employment was raised, NNPC Ltd made it clear that it would not compromise its established professional and recruitment standards.

“The company informed us that it already had in its recruitment database several qualified Ogoni sons and daughters who had previously applied, undergone its recruitment processes and performed well.”

He acknowledged that some ODC members submitted names of persons they wanted for employment, but said those nominations did not determine the outcome.

He said, “The recruitment and selection process did not pass through the ODC, nor did the ODC determine who was employed.”

He added that suggestions that the committee or its facilitators distributed the jobs as patronage were false.

The ODC also dismissed claims that it was involved in awarding or allocating government and NNPC Ltd contracts.

Baridam said contract awards were outside the committee’s mandate and that it lacked the authority or machinery to influence such decisions.

“At no time did the ODC award, allocate, distribute or otherwise become involved in contracts,” he said.

On reports of renewed oil activities in Ogoniland, the committee said it had no information indicating that oil and gas production had resumed under the Ogoni re-entry programme.

Baridam added that NNPC Ltd had said it was unaware of the alleged oil-rig operations, but said investigations into the reported activities in Alesa-Eleme were ongoing.

The committee also denied receiving any budget, grant or other funds from the Federal Government, describing its participation in the dialogue process as a sacrifice and service to the Ogoni people.

On the proposed creation of Bori State, Baridam said state creation remained a key demand presented to the Federal Government.

He said the committee had established a tactical sub-committee to work on the modalities, while acknowledging that the process must follow constitutional procedures.

Baridam said the dialogue process had advanced to efforts to harmonise outstanding issues arising from the ODC report, the Federal Government’s response and a technical committee’s report.

He said a Joint harmonization committee, comprising representatives of the Federal Government and Ogoni, was being considered to develop an interim memorandum of understanding on areas of agreement.

The ODC appealed to KAGOTE and other Ogoni stakeholders to use available channels for constructive engagement, saying it remained open to contributions that could strengthen the dialogue process and advance peace, environmental restoration and development in Ogoniland.

Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has questioned the decision of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to invite social media personality Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, as a panelist at its ongoing annual conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Falana expressed his concerns while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday, arguing that discussions on national security at the NBA conference should feature individuals with established professional experience in Nigeria’s security architecture.

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VeryDarkMan was a panelist at the 66th Annual General Conference of the NBA on Tuesday during a session titled, “Known Gunmen or Unknown Gunmen.”

The social media personality spoke about his experiences reporting insecurity and visiting communities affected by killings and other attacks.

His appearance at the conference has generated debate among lawyers and other commentators, with some questioning the NBA’s decision and others defending the invitation.

Reacting to the development, Falana said the NBA had historically used its conferences to expose lawyers to individuals with proven expertise and experience.

“In those days, the NBA brought individuals who had paid their dues, who were coming to engage lawyers intellectually. We wanted to learn from them and so none of our conferences was a circus show in the past,” he said.

The human rights lawyer maintained that anyone invited to discuss national security should have made demonstrable contributions to the sector.

“So, if you are bringing in an expert to discuss the security of the country, either from the private or public sector, such an individual must have contributed to the security architecture of the country,” Falana said.

“But when you bring people who have nothing to do with the security of the country, there are problems.”

Falana further compared the NBA’s decision to inviting someone without relevant professional experience to speak to journalists about press freedom.

“It’s like talking about media freedom, press freedom. You are going to bring practitioners in that field, either in academics or in the newsroom,” he said.

“But to just go and bring somebody from nowhere to come and entertain you, there are problems with that.”

VeryDarkMan’s security allegation
During the NBA panel discussion, VeryDarkMan alleged that some police officers stationed at checkpoints along major highways identify wealthy travellers and pass information about their identities and movements to kidnappers.

According to him, such information is subsequently used to facilitate abductions for ransom.

The Nigeria Police Force, however, rejected the allegation, describing it as unsubstantiated and potentially damaging to the reputation of the institution.

The police challenged VeryDarkMan to provide evidence to support his claim, stating that any credible information supplied would be investigated.