FULL LIST: Profiles Of Tinubu’s New Minister Nominees
President Bola Tinubu has initiated a significant reshuffle of his cabinet, removing five ministers and nominating seven new ones for Senate confirmation.
The long-anticipated reshuffle began on Wednesday, marking a pivotal moment in Tinubu’s administration.
Among the notable nominations, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu has been tapped for the role of Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, while Nentawe Yilwatda is set to become the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, officially succeeding suspended minister Betta Edu.
Maigari Dingyadi has been nominated as the Minister of Labour and Employment, Jumoke Oduwole as Minister of Industry, and Idi Maiha will lead the newly created Ministry of Livestock Development.
Yusuf Ata has been nominated as the Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, while Suwaiba Ahmad is set to become Minister of State, Education.
In contrast, five ministers were relieved of their duties, including Uju-Ken Ohanenye (Minister of Women Affairs), Lola Ade-John (Minister of Tourism), Tahir Mamman (Minister of Education), Abdullahi Gwarzo (Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development), and Jamila Ibrahim (Minister of Youth Development).
The President expressed his gratitude to the outgoing ministers, acknowledging their service to the nation and wishing them well in their future endeavors.
As part of the reshuffle, ten ministers were reassigned to new portfolios, signaling Tinubu’s commitment to improving governance and addressing Nigeria’s pressing challenges.
The President urged both the newly appointed and reassigned ministers to see their roles as an opportunity to serve the nation and contribute to its growth.
He emphasized the administration’s determination to set Nigeria on an irreversible path to development and urged all appointees to invest their best efforts in achieving the government’s priorities.
This reshuffle comes months after Tinubu initially appointed 48 ministers following his inauguration in August 2023.
Since then, there have been calls for a cabinet shake-up, driven by growing dissatisfaction over the performance of some ministers, particularly in light of Nigeria’s economic struggles, rising inflation, and ongoing security concerns.
Bianca Odumegu-Ojukwu
Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu is an accomplished diplomat, lawyer, businesswoman and beauty pageant titleholder.
In 2011, then President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Bianca as Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora Affairs. She later became Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ghana and later Ambassador to the Kingdom Of Spain. She is Nigeria’s permanent representative to the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
The widow of former Biafra warlord Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu is a multiple international pageant titleholder.
Maigari Dingyadi
Previously a Minister of Police Affairs from August 2019 to May 2023, Sokoto-born Dingyadi graduated from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria in 1978.
Politically, Dingyadi once represented Bodinga Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, He is a former Secretary to the Sokoto State Government and Chairman National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) Abuja.
Jumoke Oduwole
Oduwole is an academic, advisor, and speaker. She served as Special Adviser to the President of Nigeria on Ease of Doing Business from August 2019 to May 2023.
Before her appointment to this role, Jumoke was Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade & Investment in the Office of the Vice President.
She is currently on leave of absence from the Department of Jurisprudence and International Law, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, Nigeria, where she is a Senior Lecturer.
Nentawe Yilwatda
From Plateau State, Yilwatda is a registered Engineer with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), a community developer and a lecturer with the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State.
Yilwatda was appointed Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2017 and posted to Benue State as Resident Electoral Commissioner.
Idi Maiha
Maiha is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kaduna-based Zaidi Farms Limited. He is also a former Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company.
Yusuf Ata
An accomplished teacher, Ata was a former Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly.
Between 2003 and 2007, Ata was appointed Special Adviser to Kano State Governor on Assembly Matters and later was appointed as Special Adviser on Inter-Governmental Affairs.
Suwaiba Ahmad
Ahmad is a trained educationist and gender advocate. She is a lecturer at Bayero University Kano, Nigeria, and is currently the Director of its Centre for Gender Studies.
She has served the University in different positions including level coordinator, examination officer, PG coordinator, Sub Dean Academics, and Head of Department Science Education.
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