President Bola Tinubu has carried out a significant cabinet reshuffle, dismissing five ministers, reassigning ten others, and nominating seven new appointees for Senate confirmation.
This is part of efforts to address growing public dissatisfaction with the government’s performance amidst economic challenges and insecurity in Nigeria.
The five ministers dismissed include Uju-Ken Ohanenye (Women Affairs), Lola Ade-John (Tourism), Tahir Mamman (Education), Abdullahi Gwarzo (State, Housing and Urban Development), and Jamila Ibrahim (Youth Development).
Among the new nominations, Tinubu named Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu as the Minister of State, Foreign Affairs; Nentawe Yilwatda for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction; Maigari Dingyadi for Labour and Employment; Jumoke Oduwole for Industry; Idi Maiha for the newly created Livestock Development Ministry; Yusuf Ata as State Minister for Housing and Urban Development; and Suwaiba Ahmad as State Minister of Education.
The President also made structural changes by scrapping the Ministry of Nigeria Delta Development and creating the Ministry of Regional Development.
The 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.
In addition, Tinubu dissolved the Ministry of Sports Development, delegating its functions to the National Sports Commission.
The Ministry of Tourism was merged with the Ministry of Arts and Culture to create the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy.
Shehu Dikko was appointed as the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, while Sunday Dare was named Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication and Orientation, working from the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.
Addressing the newly assigned and incoming ministers, Tinubu emphasised that their appointments were calls to serve the nation.
He urged them to focus on steering Nigeria towards sustainable growth and to put in their best efforts to achieve the administration’s key priorities.