By Cross Udo, Abuja
Yesterday, President Bola Tinubu sacked six ministers from his cabinet and forwarded seven ministerial nominees to fill the vacant positions in the National Assembly.
The Ministers that were shown the exit door were Prof Tahir Mamman (Education), Uju Kennedy Ohanenye (Women Affairs), Mohammad Gwarzo (State for Housing), Jamila Ibrahim (Youth Development), and Lola Ade-John (Tourism).
However, Betta Edu, the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, has been replaced even though the government was silent on her status.
ThisNigeria learnt that the former education minister, Mamman, was removed because of the controversy surrounding the composition of the nationwide governing council of tertiary institutions.
Recall that on May 23, President Tinubu ordered the review of the list of the chairpersons and members of the governing councils of Nigeria’s tertiary institutions as recently released by the Federal Ministry of Education.
This followed complaints by Nigerians who accused Mamman of appointing more persons of Adamawa State origin into the various councils of the different tertiary institutions while other states, such as Niger, have just a few names on the list.
Similarly, the controversy surrounding the alleged siphoning of N2bn meant for the empowerment of women and the issue of vehicle purchase may have attracted the attention of the President against the former women affairs minister, Ohanenye.
A top presidential source disclosed that others, including Gwarzo (State for Housing), Ibrahim (Youth Development), and Ade-John (Tourism), were alleged to have been shown the way out due to underperformance.
In a statement issued yesterday, Tinubu appointed Shehu Dikko Chairman of the National Sports Commission. He will take charge of the activities and programmes of the defunct Ministry of Sports Development.
The President appointed two former Ministers under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
A retired Police Affairs minister was appointed the substantive Minister of Labour and Employment, while Sunday Dare, the former Minister of Youths and Sports Development, was appointed the Special Adviser on Public Communication and Orientation under the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.
*Appoints Bianca Ojukwu, five others
The President also forwarded seven new ministerial nominees with their portfolios to the National Assembly, including the widow of the late Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu, Bianca (State for Foreign Affairs), for confirmation.
Others are Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda, who replaces the suspended Beta Edu Minister of Humanitarian, Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, Minister of Labour and Employment, Federal Ministry of Labour & Employment, and Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment.
Others are Idi Mukhtar Maiha, who was nominated as the Minister of Livestock Development; Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development; and Suwaiba Said Ahmad, Minister of State, Education, Federal Ministry of Education.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting, presided over by the President, at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa in Abuja.
*Reassigns 10
Onanuga also announced that ten Ministers have been reassigned to new portfolios.
They are Dr Yusuf Tanko Sununu, former Minister of State for Education, now Minister of State Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction; Dr Morufu Olatunji Alausa, Minister of State for Health, now substantive Minister of Education,
Bello Muhammad Goronyo, Minister of State, Water Resources and Sanitation, is now Minister of State for Works.
*Scraps N’ Delta, Sports ministries, moves Momoh to new Regional Development Ministry
Also redeployed are Abubakar Momoh, former Minister of Niger Delta Development, now Minister of Regional Development; Uba Maigari Ahmadu, Minister of State Steel Development, now Minister of State, Regional Development; and Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, now Minister of State Finance.
The former Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan-Enoh, has been redeployed as the Minister of State Trade and Investment (Industry). Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, who was the Minister of State, Police Affairs, is now the Minister of Women Affairs. Ayodele Olawande, Minister of State for Youth Development, is now Minister of Youth Development. Dr Salako Adeboye, Minister of State, Environment, is now Minister of State, Health.
Onanuga said, “President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate implementation of eight far-reaching actions to reinvigorate the Administration’s capacity for optimal efficiency under his commitment to deliver on his promises to Nigerians.
“The eight actions approved by Mr President include renaming the Ministry of Nigeria Delta Development to the 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 to develop a vibrant sports economy;
“The merger of the Federal Ministry of Tourism and the Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture to become the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy.
“The President 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 and their reassigned colleagues to see their appointment as a call to serve the nation. He 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 actualization of the government’s priorities.”
Briefing earlier after the FEC meeting, the 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 that the President also directed that the Sports Commission would henceforth handle all sports activities and programmes initially handled by the Ministry of Sports Development.
He said that the Ministry of Tourism was scrapped, and all of its activities have been transferred to the Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy.
*NDDC not scrapped- Momoh
The Minister of the newly created Ministry of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, who was in charge of the scrapped Ministry of Niger Delta Development, clarified that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is 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 said 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.
He said, “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 in place and is still under the Ministry of Regional Development and all other such agencies. 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 ministry activities. So I think it’s something worth to be commended.”
