Tinubu Swears In New Ministers for Power and Foreign Affairs

President Bola Tinubu swore in two new ministers on Monday. Joseph Tegbe is now the minister of power. Sola Enikanolaiye is the minister of state for foreign affairs.

The ceremony happened at the President’s Office in the State House, Abuja. This took place right after Mr Tinubu met with Madagascar’s president, Michael Randrianirina, who came for a courtesy visit.

The Oath of Office was taken in front of Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo, Chief of Staff to the President Femi Gbajabiamila, and other top government officials.

This swearing-in marks the beginning of the ministers’ duties as part of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

The new appointments come after cabinet changes approved by the president. The goal is to improve policy implementation and boost performance in important government areas.

Mr Tegbe is from Oyo State. He is a strategist with over 35 years of experience in public and private sectors. He has a First Class Degree in Civil Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He also holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and Public Administration.

Before this role, he was Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services at KPMG Africa. There, he led significant reforms in the public sector. His work has involved organizations like the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

He takes over from Adebayo Adelabu, who resigned to run for the APC governorship primary in Oyo State.

Mr Enikanolaiye hails from Kogi State. He graduated with a First Class Degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He was the top student in his faculty.

He also earned a Master’s Degree in International Law and Diplomacy with distinction from the University of Lagos. Enikanolaiye joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1982 and moved up to become permanent secretary until his retirement in August 2017.

In his diplomatic career, he worked in Nigeria’s missions in Ethiopia, Serbia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. He was later appointed Nigeria’s High Commissioner to India.

Before becoming minister, he was Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and International Relations. He worked in the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.

He has received many awards, including the Presidential Civil Service Merit Award and the Presidential Distinguished Public Service Career Award.

He replaces Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who moved up to minister after Yusuf Tuggar resigned to contest the APC primary election in Bauchi State.

The Senate screened and confirmed Messrs Tegbe and Enikanolaiye as ministers in May, after Tinubu made his request.