President Bola Tinubu has sacked five ministers, re-assigned ten others to new portfolios, and nominated seven new ministers for Senate confirmation, in response to growing public pressure to shake up his cabinet. The announcement was made on Wednesday during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja.
President Bola Tinubu Sacks Five Ministers Months after his initial appointments in August 2023, Tinubu has reshuffled key positions in his government.
Among those removed were 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.
In their place, Tinubu has nominated Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and Nentawe Yilwatda for the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, officially ending suspended Betta Edu’s tenure.
Other nominees include Maigari Dingyadi for the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Jumoke Oduwole for Industry, Idi Maiha for the newly created Ministry of Livestock Development, Yusuf Ata for Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, and Suwaiba Ahmad for Minister of State, Education.
The reshuffle comes in response to public dissatisfaction with the performance of the initial ministers, as the country continues to grapple with economic challenges, inflation, and security concerns.
The cabinet changes had been widely anticipated after Tinubu’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, hinted at an imminent reshuffle in September. Advertisement Scrapped and Merged Ministries Earlier in the day, President Tinubu also scrapped the Ministry of Niger Delta Development, replacing it with the newly established Ministry of Regional Development.
This new ministry will oversee all regional development commissions, including the Niger Delta Development Commission, the South East Development Commission, the North East Development Commission, and the North West Development Commission.
The Ministry of Sports Development was also dissolved, with its responsibilities transferred to the National Sports Commission. In addition, the Ministry of Tourism has been merged with the Ministry of Arts and Culture, creating the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy.
Fresh Appointments Sunday Dare, who served as Minister of Sports under the Buhari administration, has been appointed as the Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication and Orientation, operating from the Ministry of Information and National Orientation. Shehu Dikko was appointed as Chairman of the National Sports Commission. Advertisements
Tinubu expressed gratitude to the outgoing ministers for their service and urged the new and re-assigned ministers to view their roles as a call to national duty.
He emphasised the administration’s determination to set Nigeria on a path of irreversible growth, urging all appointees to give their best towards realising the government’s priorities.