President Bola Tinubu has discharged five ministers in a cabinet re-alignment move that has seen the redeployment of 10 others.
Seven new persons have also been nominated to be ministers in his administration.
This comes as he has also appointed Sunday Akin Dare as Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication and Orientation working from the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.
The ministers sacked are Barr. Uju-Ken Ohanenye Minister of Women Affairs; Lola Ade-John Minister of Tourism; Prof Tahir Mamman, Minister of Education; Abdullahi Muhammad Gwarzo Minister of State, Housing and Urban and Development and Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim Minister of Youth Development.
The suspended minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Dr. Betta Edu, was missing on the new cabinet list.
The president has also approved the scrapping of the ministries of Niger Delta Affairs and Sports.
The decisions came to light on Wednesday following a meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by him at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
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The decisions saw the return of the National Sports Commission to take over the role for the former sports ministry with Shehu Dikko as chairman.
The president has however established the ministry of regional development to oversee all the regional development commissions in the country.
He also approved the merger of ministries of tourism with the ministry of culture and creative economy.
The new nominees for ministerial positions are: Dr Nentawe Yilwatda Minister of Humanitarian
Affairs and Poverty Reduction; Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, Minister of Labour & Employment; Bianca Odinaka Odumegu-Ojukwu, Minister of State Foreign Affairs; Dr Jumoke Oduwole Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Idi Mukhtar Maiha Ministry of Livestock Development; Rt. Hon. Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, and Suwaiba Said Ahmad, PhD Minister of State Education.
The 10 ministers reassigned are: Hon Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu from Minister of State, Education to Minister of State Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction; Dr. Morufu Olatunji Alausa moves from Minister State, Health to Minister of Education, and Barr. Bello Muhammad Goronyo formerly Minister of State, Water Resources and Sanitation becomes Minister of State Works.
Hon. Abubakar Eshiokpekha Momoh moves from Minister of Niger Delta Development to Minister of Regional Development; Uba Maigari Ahmadu leaves Minister of State Steel Development to Minister of State Regional Development; Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment has been re-designated Minister of State Finance.
Sen. John Owan Enoh moves from Minister of Sports Development to Minister of State Industry, Trade and Investment; Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim leaves his post as Minister of State, Police Affairs to Minister of Women Affairs; Ayodele Olawande Minister of State for Youth Development becomes Minister for Youth Development and Dr. Salako Iziaq Adekunle Adeboye leaves his post as Minister of State, Environment to become Minister of State,Health.
Tinubu, in renaming of the Ministry of Nigeria Delta Development to Ministry of Regional Development, directed that it will 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 president also directed 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;
With the merger of the Federal Ministry of Tourism and the Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture, it now becomes Federal Ministry of Art,Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy;
A presidency statement affirmed that the president approved the immediate implementation of the “eight far-reaching actions to reinvigorate the administration’s capacity for optimal efficiency pursuant of his commitment to deliver on his promises to Nigerians.”
He charged the newly appointed ministers as well as their reassigned colleagues to see their appointment as a call to serve the nation, adding 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.
President Tinubu thanked the outgoing members of the Federal Executive Council for their service to the nation while wishing them the best in their future endeavours.
and then