Five ministers have been dropped from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.
In a cabinet reshuffle announced on Wednesday, the President also named seven ministerial nominees, who are to be confirmed by the Senate. Among them is the Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, widow of Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who died on 26 November 2011, aged 78. He led the armed struggle between 1967 and 1970 to have an independent state of Biafra.
Ministers who were relieved of their appointments were Hon. Uju Kennedy (Women Affairs); Ms. Lola Ade-John (Tourism); Prof. Tahir Mamman (Education); Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo (State for Housing and Development) and Ms. Jamila Bio Ibrahim (Youth).
Upon being confirmed by the Senate, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu will serve as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda (Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Development), Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi (Minister of Labour and Employment), Dr. Jumoke Oluwole (Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment), Idi Mukhtar Maiha (Minister of Livestock Development), Rt. Hon. Yusuf Abdullahi Ata (Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development) and Dr. Suwaiba Said Ahmed (Minister of State for Education).
The current Minister of State for Education, Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu has been moved to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Development as Minister of State, while Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olatunji Alausa becomes the Minister of Education.
Barrister Bello Muhammad Goronyo, the Minister of State for Water Resources and Sanitation is now the Minister of State for Works, while the Minister of Niger Delta Development Hon. Abubakar Momoh, is now in charge of the newly created Ministry of Regional Development as substantive minister.
Other changes are: Uba Maigari Ahmadu (Minister of State for Steel Development, now Minister of State for Regional Development), Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite ( Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, now Minister of State for Finance), Senator John Enoh (Minister of Sports Development now Minister of State for Trade and Investment), Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim (Minister of State for Police Affairs, now Minister of Women Affairs), Mr. Ayodele Olawande (Minister of State for Youth Development, now Minister of Youth Development), and Dr. Salako Isiaq Adeboye (Minister of State for Environment, now Minister of State for Health).
The Minister of Youth and Sports in the last administration, Chief Sunday Dare was appointed Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication and Orientation, to be working from the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation.
The restructuring of the administration included the renaming of the Ministry of Nigeria Delta Development to Ministry of Regional Development to oversee the activities of all the regional development commissions.
The Ministry of Sports Development was also scrapped with its functions transferred the National Sports Commission, to be headed by seasoned football administrator, Mallam Shehu Dikko as Chairman.
The restructuring also included the merger of the Federal Ministry of Tourism and the Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture to become Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy;
The statement from the President quoted President Tinubu as thanking the outgoing miniter for their service to the nation, while wishing them the best in their future endeavours.
He then charged the newly appointed ministers as well as their reassigned colleagues to see their appointment as a call to serve the nation. He added that all appointees must understand the administration’s eagerness and determination to set Nigeria on the path to irreversible growth and invest the best of their abilities into the actualisation of the government’s priorities.
Sunday Dare, former Minister of Sports, has joined the government of President Bola Tinubu as Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication and Orientation.
Although not clearly stated, Dare is suspected to have replaced Ajuri Ngelale, who in September resigned as Presidential spokesman amid controversy.
