President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Mr Abel Olumuyiwa Enitan as the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, effective from Thursday, August 27, 2026.

Mr Enitan succeeds Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who will retire soon from the Federal Civil Service upon attaining the statutory retirement age of 60.

Mr Enitan, native of Osun State, is the most senior Permanent Secretary in the Federal Civil Service.

He has served as Permanent Secretary for seven years and seven months, working at the Ministry of Police Affairs, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and the Office of the Vice President. He is currently the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education.

He brings considerable institutional experience and a deep understanding of how the Federal Civil Service works to his new responsibility.

President Tinubu expresses his profound appreciation to Mrs Walson-Jack for her distinguished service to the nation and for the reforms, impact and innovations witnessed in the Civil Service during her tenure.

The President wishes her a fulfilling and successful life after service and conveys the nation’s gratitude for her years of dedicated and impactful public service.

President Tinubu charges the incoming Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to consolidate on the reforms and innovations already underway, deepen professionalism and efficiency across the service, and build a more effective and responsive Civil Service capable of delivering on the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The President further urges Mr Enitan to lead a Civil Service that is professional, merit-driven, accountable, innovative, and responsive to Nigerians’ needs and aspirations.

Enitan was born on December 12, 1966. He had his secondary education at Ajibode Grammar School, Ibadan and the College of Arts and Science, Ile-Ife. He later attended the University of Lagos and graduated in 1988 with a B.Sc. in Finance and Banking.

In 2015, Enitan obtained an M.Sc. in Public Policy Analysis from Nasarawa State University, Lafia.

The Peter Obi Media Office has outlined its principal’s core agenda as campaigns for the January 16, 2027 presidential election officially commence today, Wednesday, August 19, 2026.

In a statement issued earlier today and signed by the POMR spokesman, Idris Zekeri Jnr, the media office said that the 150-day campaign period would provide Nigerians with an opportunity to assess the candidates, their records and their visions for the country ahead of the election.

It introduced the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Gregory Obi, as the “Candidate of Conscience.”

The statement described Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, as a politician whose public identity is associated with integrity, frugality and accountability.

According to the media office, the Obi campaign is centred on a vision of moving Nigeria “from consumption to production”, while reducing the cost of governance, strengthening education and healthcare, improving security and creating opportunities for young Nigerians.

The statement said Obi’s political appeal was not based on ethnicity, religion or regional affiliation, but on what it described as competence, capacity, character, compassion and commitment.

It further urged Nigerians to use the campaign period to scrutinise the records and policy proposals of all presidential candidates rather than being swayed by campaign slogans and political sentiments.

“For us in the Peter Obi Media Office, these 150 days are crucial because they mark a journey that will culminate on January 16, 2027, when Nigerians decide not only who becomes president but also what kind of nation Nigeria will evolve into,” the statement said.

The media office framed the election as a contest between what it described as the country’s longstanding problems of waste, division and broken promises and an alternative centred on competence, accountability, productivity and hope.

It said Obi would ask Nigerians to judge him by his record, ideas and character, rather than by his ethnicity, religion or political connections.

The statement also highlighted Obi’s record as governor of Anambra State, particularly his emphasis on education, healthcare, infrastructure and fiscal responsibility, while presenting these as indicators of the leadership approach he would bring to the presidency.

“Governance is neither a personal inheritance nor a reward for political loyalty,” the statement said, adding that leadership should be earned through “verifiable competence, character, and measurable outcomes.”

The media office consequently called on voters to listen to all presidential candidates and evaluate their records, ideas and capacity to address Nigeria’s economic hardship, insecurity, unemployment and institutional challenges.

As the campaign begins, it said the central issue should be the kind of Nigeria voters want to build rather than primordial political considerations.

The statement concluded with a direct appeal to Nigerians to listen to Obi and consider his vision for the country.

“Let the campaign begin. Let the people decide. And let Nigeria choose hope over fear, competence over propaganda, and conscience over convenience,” it said.

A Nigerian national has been arrested in Vietnam after authorities allegedly found 2kg of suspected crystal methamphetamine and two suspected bricks of heroin concealed in a consignment from Laos.

VietnamPlus reported on Monday that the drugs were discovered at the Lao Bao International Border Gate in Quang Tri Province after customs officers detected suspicious images in a consigned package during a scan.

The report said the case was uncovered at about 8:30 pm on August 5 when customs officers were inspecting road vehicles entering Vietnam from Laos through the border gate.

“Customs officers detected suspicious images in a consigned package using scanning equipment,” the report stated.

A subsequent physical inspection reportedly revealed that the drugs had been concealed inside electric water heaters and electronic components “used as disguises.”

The discovery raised suspicions of transnational drug trafficking, prompting the Customs Sub-Department of Region IX to assign its customs control team to lead the investigation.

The team also coordinated with the Lao Bao International Border Gate’s customs branch, the drug-related crimes investigation police division under the Quang Tri Police, the anti-smuggling investigation sub-department and the provincial Border Guard.

According to the report, the agencies worked together “to identify and locate the recipient” of the consignment.

“After several days of tracing the consignment across multiple locations,” law enforcement officers arrested Izuchukwu Calistus Odionye, a Nigerian national born in 1983, on August 9 in Ho Chi Minh City while he was receiving the package.

The suspect reportedly admitted that the package contained drugs.

Odionye told investigators that he “had been hired to receive it in Ho Chi Minh City and transport it to Hanoi,” according to the report.

The Vietnamese authorities have since expanded the investigation to identify other people allegedly involved in the case.

“The investigation has been expanded to identify other people involved,” the report added.