• Monday, December 23, 2024
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Tinubu appoints 7 new ministers, reassigns 10, sacks 5

The burden of reform: Who pays the price in Nigeria?

…Ojukwu, Oduwole make list

…Ministry of Regional Development, National Sports Commission emerge new ministries

President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, named seven new ministers and reassigned 10 others, sacking five over poor performance.

BusinessDay had reported on Monday that new ministers would be appointed this week.

The newly appointed ministers include: Nentawe Yilwatda, minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction; Jumoke Oduwole, former special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Ease of Doing Business, now minister of Industry, Trade and Investment.

Others are: Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, minister of Labour & Employment; Idi Mukhtar Maiha, minister of the newly created Ministry of Livestock Development.

Bianca Odumegu-Ojukwu, wife of the late warlord, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, was appointed minister of state for Foreign Affairs, while Abdullahi Ata is now the minister of state for Housing and Urban Development. Suwaiba Ahmad is the new minister of state for Education.

Among those sacked were: Uju-Ken Ohanenye, former minister of Women’s Affairs; Lola Ade-John, former minister of Tourism; Tahir Mamman, former minister of Education; Abdullahi Gwarzo, former minister of state for Housing and Urban Development; and Jamila Ibrahim, former minister of Youth Development.

Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, disclosed this while briefing State House journalists after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by the president on Wednesday.

He revealed that FEC came up with eight far-reaching actions to reinvigorate the administration’s capacity for optimal efficiency pursuant to the president’s commitment to deliver on his promises to Nigerians.

Read also: Bianca Ojukwu, Jumoke Oduwole among Tinubu’s seven new ministers

Eight FEC’s measures

One of the FEC’s measures is the renaming of the Ministry of Nigeria Delta Development to the Ministry of Regional Development to oversee the activities of all regional development commissions.

The new ministry will supervise the Niger Delta Development Commission, the South East Development Commission, the North East Development and the North West Development Commission.

The FEC also approved the immediate winding up of the Ministry of Sports Development and the transfer of its functions to the National Sports Commission in order to develop a vibrant sports economy.

It also approved the merger of the Federal Ministry of Tourism and the Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture to form the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy.

The president and the Federal Executive Council also approved the re-assignment of 10 ministers to new ministerial portfolios.

More appointments, reassignments

The president also approved the nomination of seven new ministers for onward transmission to the Senate for confirmation and the appointment of Shehu Dikko as chairman of the National Sports Commission.

Sunday Dare, former minister of Youths and Sports under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, was appointed as special adviser to the president on Public Communication and Orientation. He will work from the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.

Yusuf Tanko Sununu was moved from the position of minister of state for Education to that of minister of state for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.

Read also: Ministers jittery as Tinubu hints on cabinet reshuffle

Olatunji Alausa, former minister of state for Health, was appointed minister of Education.

Muhammad Goronyo, former minister of state for Water Resources and Sanitation, was appointed minister of state for Works.

Abubakar Momoh, former minister of Niger Delta Development, is now minister of Regional Development.

Also, Maigari Ahmadu, minister of state for Steel Development, was moved to the Ministry of Regional Development as minister of state.

Doris Uzoka-Anite, former minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, was moved to the Ministry of Finance as minister of state.

John Enoh, former minister of Sports Development, was moved to the Ministry of Trade and Investment as minister of state.

Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, former minister of state, Police Affairs, was moved to the Ministry of Women Affairs as substantive minister.

Ayodele Olawande, minister of state for Youth Development, was appointed the substantive minister for Youth Development.

Similarly, Salako Adeboye, minister of state, Environment, was moved to the Ministry of Health as minister of state.

Onanuga said the president thanked the outgoing members of the FEC 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 appointments as calls 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.

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