Three weeks after hinting at a possible cabinet reshuffle, and 17 months into his administration, President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, made good his promise as he discharged five ministers, appointed seven new ones, and reassigned 10 of the cabinet members.
The discharged ministers were Uju-Ken Ohanenye (Women Affairs), Lola Ade-John (Tourism), Prof Tahir Mamman (Education), Abdullahi Muhammad Gwarzo (State, Housing and Urban Development), and Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim (Youth Development).
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who announced the development to newsmen at the State House, Abuja, after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, later clarified that the ministers were not sacked but discharged.
Speaking on a national television, he explained that the term “sacked” did not accurately describe their departure, insisting that the “ministers were not sacked; they were discharged.”
According to him, the new ministers whose appointments would be subject to confirmation by the Senate to include Dr Nentawe Yilwatda (Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction); Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi (Labour & Employment); Bianca Odinaka Odumegu-Ojukwu (State, Foreign Affairs); and Dr Jumoke Oduwole (Industry, Trade and Investment).
Equally lucky were Idi Mukhtar Maiha (Livestock Development); Rt. Hon. Yusuf Abdullahi Ata (State, Housing and Urban Development) and Suwaiba Said Ahmad (State, Education).
Onanuga listed the 10 redeployed ministers to include Hon. Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu former Minister of State, Education, now Minister of State Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction; Dr. Morufu Olatunji Alausa, Minister of State for Health, now Minister of Education; Bello Muhammad Goronyo Minister of State, Water Resources and Sanitation, now Minister of State Works.
Also on this list were Hon. Abubakar Eshiokpekha Momoh, Minister of Niger Delta Development now Minister of Regional Development; Uba Maigari Ahmadu Minister of State Steel Development, now Minister of State Regional Development; Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment now Minister of State Finance; Senator John Owan Enoh, Minister of Sports Development now Minister of State Trade and Investment (Industry).
Still, among those reassigned were Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Minister of State, Police Affairs now Minister of Women Affairs; Ayodele Olawande, Minister of State for Youth Development now Minister for Youth Development and Dr. Salako Iziaq Adekunle Adeboye, Minister of State, Environment now Minister of State, Health.
The presidential aide further explained that Tinubu has approved the immediate implementation of eight far-reaching actions to reinvigorate the administration’s capacity for optimal efficiency pursuant of his commitment to deliver on his promises to Nigerians.
According to him, the eight actions included “The renaming of the Ministry of Nigeria Delta Development to Ministry of Regional Development to oversee the activities of all the Regional Development Commissions.
“The Regional Development Commissions to be under the supervision of the new Ministry are; the Niger Delta Development Commission, the South East Development Commission, the North East Development and the North West Development Commission.
“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.
“The merger of the Federal Ministry of Tourism and the Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture to become Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy; the re-assignment of 10 ministers to new ministerial portfolios and the discharge of five Ministers.
“The nomination of seven (7) new ministers for onward transmission to Senate for confirmation. The appointment of Shehu Dikko as Chairman of the National Sports Commission.
“The appointment of Sunday Akin Dare as Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication and Orientation working from the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.”
The President, according to Onanuga, thanked the outgoing members of the Federal Executive Council 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 appointment as a call to serve the nation.
Tinubu 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.
Briefing newsmen earlier, after the FEC meeting, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, explained that the Ministry of Regional Development would take over the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, North East Development Commission, South East Development Commission and other regional development commissions in the country.
He further said the president also directed that the sports commission would henceforth handle all sports activities and programmes initially handled by the Ministry of Sports Development.
According to him, with the scrapping of the Ministry of Tourism, all of its activities have been brought to the Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy.
Providing further clarity, the Minister of the newly created Ministry of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, who was in charge of the scrapped Ministry of Niger Delta Development, said the NDDC was still in place.
The minister also explained that the Ministry of Niger Delta Development was renamed and given a greater responsibility under the Ministry of Regional Development.
He explained that the new ministry was created to supervise all the agencies under the Ministry of Niger Delta Development and other regional commissions in the country.
“For our people over there in the Niger Delta region, I would like them to know that, that has not removed anything from them. The NDDC is still very much in place, which is still under the Ministry of Regional Development and all other such agencies are there. It’s just a question of change of nomenclature.”
He advised that nobody from the Niger Delta region should feel that the Ministry of Niger Delta has been scrapped, and it’s no more in existence.
“All the structures and everything about the Niger Delta remains. It’s just a change of nomenclature and, of course, expansion of activities of the ministry. So, I think it’s something worth to be commended,” he said.
Meanwhile, the federal government has ordered the five ministers that were discharged and the 10 that were reassigned to new portfolios to finalise the handing over and taking over processes on or before October 30, 2024.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, issued the clarification yesterday, adding that in the case of ministries without ministers to take-over, the out-going ministers should hand over to the substantive permanent secretaries.
The statement also said the processes for the seamless merger of the Ministry of Tourism with Ministry of Arts Culture and Creative Economy as well as the winding down of the defunct Ministry of Sports Development were being coordinated jointly by the Offices of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.
Akume added that the renaming and the expansion of mandate of the defunct Ministry of Niger Delta Development would take immediate effect.
The SGF stated that the releasing supervising authorities as well as commissions under the new Ministry had been duly notified on this development.
Also, respective Permanent Secretaries were directed to ensure seamless implementation and also forward one copy each of the hand-over notes to the SGF for the record.
Kano’s Nominee for Housing, Abdullahi Yusuf Ata, Pledges to Serve with Integrity
The newly nominated minister from Kano State, Abdullahi Yusuf Ata, has pledged to serve the country with diligence and Integrity.
Speaking with party supporters, who thronged his home at Fagge Local Government Area, in the metropolis, Ata vowed not to betray the trust bestowed on him by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the discharge of his official duties.
He also promised to work round the clock to ensure the successes of Tinubu’s administration and that of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to deliver on the mandate of his ministry.
“As an Honourable Minister of Nigeria, I will not betray the trust bestowed on me by Mr. President, and I will work round the clock with my management team to deliver on the mandate of the ministry,” he said.
