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

This is contained in a statement by Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday.

Enitan is replacing Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who is set to retire from the Federal Civil Service upon attaining the statutory retirement age of 60.

According to the statement, Enitan, from 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, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the Office of the Vice President.

The new head of the Civil Service of the Federation is currently the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education.

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

He wished her a fulfilling and successful life after service and conveyed the nation’s gratitude for her years of dedicated and impactful public service, according to the statement.

The President equally charged 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.

He also charged Enitan to lead a Civil Service that is professional, merit-driven, accountable, innovative, and responsive to Nigerians’ needs and aspirations.

The governments of Oyo, Ogun and Lagos States have declared Thursday a work-free day in commemoration of Isese Day, a celebration of the African traditional religion.

Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State announced this in a memo by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Musibau Babatunde, on Wednesday in Ibadan.

In the memo, the governor extended his felicitations to adherents of African Traditional Religion across Oyo State, Nigeria, and beyond, wishing them a successful and spiritually enriching celebration.

Makinde reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to fairness to all religions, expressing gratitude to traditional worshippers for their support to his government over the past seven years.

The governor said that the work-free day would enable workers and residents to fully participate in the celebration of the state’s cultural heritage and pray for the peace, unity, and stability of the state and the country in general.

NAN recalls that Makinde introduced the Isese Day celebration as part of his administration’s efforts to honour adherents of traditional religion.

Also, the Ogun Government in a statement signed by Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, announced the development on Wednesday in Abeokuta.

Akinmade said that the observance of the Isese Day underscored the administration’s commitment to preserving and promoting Yoruba culture, heritage and traditional values.

He recalled that Aug. 20 was formally declared a public holiday in the state in 2023, following a resolution of the Ogun House of Assembly and approval by Gov. Dapo Abiodun.

Similarly, the Lagos State Government disclosed the work-free day in a statement on Wednesday by Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Idris Aregbe, describing Ìṣẹ̀ṣe as more than a public holiday and an important expression of Yoruba heritage and spirituality.

Aregbe said the day would provide Lagosians and tourists with an opportunity to experience the state’s indigenous culture through a series of traditional activities.

“Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is not a relic. It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” he said.

He said the Yoruba people, numbering more than 55 million globally, had continued to preserve their cultural heritage and pass it on to younger generations.

According to him, the resilience of Yoruba culture has also sustained Ìṣẹ̀ṣe festivals in Cuba, Brazil and the Caribbean, where Yoruba-descendant communities continue to observe the traditions.

“When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” Aregbe said.

Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day marks the culmination of a week-long programme of traditional activities and has been observed as a work-free day in Lagos since 2023, following a request by the Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has maintained the declaration annually as part of his administration’s commitment to indigenous values and religious inclusiveness under the THEMES+ Agenda.

Aregbe commended Sanwo-Olu for his continued support for the celebration, while also acknowledging the role of traditional rulers and other custodians of Yoruba culture.

He paid tribute to the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, royal fathers, White Cap Chiefs, Babaláwo, Ìyánífá, Olóòrìṣà and other custodians and promoters of indigenous traditions for preserving the culture over the years.

The 2026 celebration will feature traditional prayers and rituals, processions, drumming and cultural displays dedicated to the Òrìṣà. The activities are being coordinated by the Association of African Traditional Religion Nigeria and Overseas (AATREN).

Aregbe urged participants to celebrate peacefully and respectfully, stressing that the event reflects Lagos’ position as a city that accommodates diverse cultural and religious traditions.

“Three million voices rising in honour of tradition is not noise. It is history, faith and cultural pride in harmony. Whether you worship in a mosque, a church or a grove, Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day belongs to you, because heritage has no denomination. Lagos remains the city where every heritage finds its place,” he said.

The removal of petrol subsidy saved Nigeria N15.8 trillion between June 2023 and December 2025, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has said.

Oyedele disclosed this on Wednesday at a press conference, where he provided a breakdown of the financial impact of the Federal Government’s economic reforms under President Bola Tinubu.

He said the subsidy savings were reflected in the resources available to the Federation, although they did not appear as a separate credit to the Federation Account under the description “subsidy savings”.

“Between June 2023 and December 2025, subsidy savings mobilised the sum of N15.8 trillion in resources for the Federation.

“Many people will say, where is the subsidy savings? As a matter of fact, there wasn’t any alert to the Federation Account with the description ‘subsidy savings’,” Oyedele said.

According to the minister, the Federal Government received N5.4 trillion of the N15.8 trillion, while N10.4 trillion was shared among state and local governments through the Federation Account.

Oyedele said the government’s overall financial position during the period also reflected increased independent revenue and borrowing to fund its expenditure.

He said the Federal Government generated N3.1 trillion in incremental independent revenue, largely from remittances by government-owned entities and increased surpluses from government agencies.

The government also borrowed an additional N11.9 trillion between June 2023 and December 2025.

“People will say, you said you have exceeded your revenue, why are you still borrowing?” Oyedele said. “The additional borrowing that the Federal Government took for that period of time, June 2023 to December 2025, amounted to N11.9 trillion,” he said.

According to him, the combination of incremental independent revenue and additional borrowing brought the Federal Government’s incremental resources during the period to N20.4 trillion.

However, he said total incremental expenditure stood at N30.64 trillion.

Oyedele said the figures demonstrated the fiscal implications of the reforms, which were introduced to address long-standing economic distortions and reduce pressure on government finances.

“The administration of President Bola Tinubu has embarked on major reforms to address age-long economic challenges,” he said.

He identified the removal of petrol subsidy and the unification of the foreign exchange market as key measures undertaken by the administration.

“The removal of fuel subsidy, which was quietly bankrupting the country, and the unification of an exchange rate system that had become a source of distortion and corruption rather than stability.

“Those decisions came at a cost, and we are not here to implement otherwise. What does reform cost?” Oyedele said.

President Tinubu announced the removal of petrol subsidy on May 29, 2023, during his inauguration, declaring that “subsidy is gone”.

The biting reform subsequently led to a sharp increase in petrol prices and contributed to higher transportation, logistics and production costs.

The Federal Government has consistently defended the decision as necessary to reduce fiscal pressure and redirect public resources towards other priorities.

However, the policy, alongside the naira reforms, has also contributed to significant economic hardship, with households and businesses facing increased costs of transportation and essential goods.

The government has since introduced measures aimed at cushioning the impact of the reforms, including wage adjustments, support for agriculture and the expansion of Compressed Natural Gas initiatives as an alternative to petrol-powered transportation.