Months after mounting pressure for President Bola Tinubu to revamp his cabinet, the former Lagos State governor took action on Wednesday by dismissing five ministers. In addition, he reassigned 10 ministers to new portfolios and nominated seven fresh candidates for Senate confirmation.
Tinubu, a prominent figure in the All-Progressives Congress (APC), initially appointed 48 ministers in August 2023, three months after his inauguration. The Senate promptly screened and confirmed them. One minister, Betta Edu, was suspended in January, and another, Simon Lalong, transitioned to the Senate.
There had been growing demands for a cabinet reshuffle due to public dissatisfaction with some ministers' performance, particularly in light of the country's surging inflation, severe economic challenges, and increasing insecurity. In September, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga confirmed that the president planned a reshuffle but did not specify a timeline.
During Wednesday's Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, Tinubu dismissed 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).
In their place, Tinubu nominated several new ministers, including Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Nentawe Yilwatda as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, officially ending Betta Edu’s tenure. Other appointees include Maigari Dingyadi as Minister of Labour and Employment, Jumoke Oduwole as Minister of Industry, Idi Maiha for the newly created Livestock Development Ministry, Yusuf Ata as Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, and Suwaiba Ahmad as Minister of State for Education.
Additionally, the President abolished the Ministry of Niger Delta Development and replaced it with the Ministry of Regional Development, which will oversee various regional commissions, including the Niger Delta Development Commission, South East Development Commission, and others.
Tinubu also scrapped the Ministry of Sports Development, transferring its responsibilities to the National Sports Commission to foster a more dynamic sports economy. The Federal Ministry of Tourism and the Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture were merged into the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy.
The reshuffle brought new appointments, such as Sunday Dare, former Minister of Sports, being named Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication and Orientation, and Shehu Dikko as Chairman of the National Sports Commission.
In his closing remarks, Tinubu expressed gratitude to the outgoing ministers for their service and urged the newly appointed and reassigned officials to dedicate themselves fully to their roles, emphasizing the administration’s determination to set Nigeria on a path of irreversible growth.
