President Bola Tinubu has sworn in seven newly-appointed ministers at the Council Chambers, Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Those sworn in are Nentawe Yilwatda as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction; Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi as the Minister of Labour & Employment; Bianca Odinaka Odumegwu-Ojukwu as the Minister of State Foreign Affairs.
Others are Jumoke Oduwole (Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment (Trade and Investment), Idi Mukhtar Maiha (Minister of Livestock Development), Yusuf Abdullahi Ata (Minister of State, Housing, and Urban Development), and Suwaiba Said Ahmad as the Minister of State Education.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presides over the Swearing in Ceremony of New Ministers Screened by the Upper Chamber at the State House.
In his speech to the ministers, Tinubu required of them not to abstain from responsibilities.
“Nigeria’s head is above the waters. This ship will not sink. We will not run away from our responsibilities,” he said.
“I am proud to lead you, and we will lead you to success and prosperity. We have taken the bull by the horns. We have stopped the scavengers and profiteers.”
“Nigeria’s head is above the waters. This ship will not sink. We will not run away from our responsibilities. I am proud to lead you, and we will lead you to success and prosperity. We have taken the bull by the horns. We have stopped the scavengers and profiteers”.
Monday’s swearing-in emerged days after their appointments by President Tinubu and subsequent affirmation by the Upper Chamber.
Calls for the cabinet shake-up by the president’s took another turn in the wake of Nigeria’s waning economic fortunes, which have worsened the expectations for everyday comfort the nation over.
President Tinubu conceded to the calls in October, sacking five ministers and nominating seven others. Those dismissed included Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye (Women Affairs); Lola Ade-John (Tourism); Tahir Mamman (Education); Abdullahi Gwarzo (State, Housing and Urban Development), and Jamila Ibrahim (Youth Development).
This was notwithstanding the reassignment of new portfolios to 10 other ministers.
Tinubu selected a 48-person cabinet in August 2023, just three months after his inauguration.
While the Upper Chamber quickly screened them and affirmed their nominations, one of them, Simon Lalong moved to the Upper Chamber. Betta Edu (in charge of the Humanitarian Ministry) was suspended owing to claims of debasement.
In his most recent shake-up of the cabinet, Tinubu likewise eliminated two ministries, the Niger Delta Development and the Sports Development.
The president rather announced the Ministry of Regional Development instead of the scrapped Niger Delta Development Ministry.
It will supervise the activities of all development commissions.
Some of the development commissions under the new Ministry of Regional Development include the Niger Delta Development Commission, the South East Development Commission, the North East Development and the North West Development Commission.
For the Ministry of Sports Development, Tinubu pushed its responsibilities to the National Sports Commission (NSC) which he charged to “foster a vibrant sports economy”.
He additionally endorsed the merger of the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Arts and Culture to become the Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy.
