In response to growing calls for a cabinet reshuffle, President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday made significant changes to his administration, sacking five ministers, reassigning 10 others to new roles, and nominating seven new ministers for Senate confirmation.
Among those dismissed are Uju-Ken Ohanenye, Minister of Women Affairs; Lola Ade-John, Minister of Tourism; Tahir Mamman, Minister of Education; Abdullahi Gwarzo, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development; and Jamila Ibrahim, Minister of Youth Development.
Notably, the President nominated Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and Nentawe Yilwatda as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, ending the tenure of suspended Betta Edu.
Other nominees include Maigari Dingyadi as Minister of Labour and Employment, Jumoke Oduwole as Minister of Industry, Idi Maiha as Minister for the newly created Livestock Development Ministry, Yusuf Ata as Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, and Suwaiba Ahmad as Minister of State for Education.
In addition to the ministerial changes, President Tinubu announced the scrapping of the Ministry of Niger Delta Development, replacing it with the Ministry of Regional Development.
This new ministry will oversee the activities of all regional development commissions, including the Niger Delta Development Commission, South East Development Commission, North East Development Commission, and North West Development Commission.
The President also dissolved the Ministry of Sports Development, transferring its functions to the National Sports Commission in an effort to create a “vibrant sports economy.”
Shehu Dikko was appointed as Chairman of the National Sports Commission, while Sunday Akin Dare was named Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication and Orientation under the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.
Furthermore, President Tinubu also approved the merger of the Federal Ministry of Tourism and the Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture, creating the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy.
In his address, President Tinubu expressed gratitude to the outgoing members of the Federal Executive Council for their service and wished them well in their future endeavors.
He charged the newly appointed and reassigned ministers to view their positions as an opportunity to serve the nation, stressing the administration’s commitment to setting Nigeria on an irreversible path to growth.
