President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday submitted the names of seven new ministerial nominees to the National Assembly following the dismissal of six ministers from his cabinet.
The nominees are set to fill the resulting vacancies, while the President also restructured his administration by reassigning 10 ministers to new portfolios.
Among the nominees, Tinubu has selected Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu for the position of Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
Additionally, Nentawe Yilwatda is slated to become the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, officially concluding the tenure of suspended Betta Edu.
The list also includes Maigari Dingyadi, nominated for the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and Jumoke Oduwole, who is set to take over the Ministry of Industry. Idi Maiha has been appointed to lead the newly created Ministry of Livestock Development, while Yusuf Ata will serve as the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development. Suwaiba Ahmad has been named the Minister of State for Education.
Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu
Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu is a distinguished diplomat, lawyer, businesswoman, and former beauty queen. In 2011, President Goodluck Jonathan appointed her as Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora Affairs. She subsequently served as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ghana and later as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain. Currently, she represents Nigeria at the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Bianca, who is the widow of Biafran leader Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has also earned numerous international pageant titles.
Maigari Dingyadi
Maigari Dingyadi, hailing from Sokoto, served as Nigeria’s Minister of Police Affairs from August 2019 to May 2023. A graduate of Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria (1978), Dingyadi has a strong political background, having represented Bodinga Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. He has also served as Secretary to the Sokoto State Government and Chairman of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) in Abuja.
Jumoke Oduwole
Jumoke Oduwole is an academic, advisor, and public speaker. From August 2019 to May 2023, she held the position of Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business. Before this, she served as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade & Investment in the Office of the Vice President. Oduwole is currently on leave from her position as Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, where she specializes in Jurisprudence and International Law.
Nentawe Yilwatda
Nentawe Yilwatda, an engineer and community developer from Plateau State, is a registered professional with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN). He has lectured at the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, in Benue State. In 2017, former President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him as a Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), where he served as Resident Electoral Commissioner for Benue State.
Idi Maiha
Idi Maiha is the Chairman and CEO of Zaidi Farms Limited, based in Kaduna. He previously served as Managing Director of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, contributing significantly to Nigeria’s energy sector.
Yusuf Ata
Yusuf Ata is a seasoned educator and former Speaker of the Kano State House of Assembly. From 2003 to 2007, he served as Special Adviser to the Kano State Governor on Assembly Matters and later as Special Adviser on Inter-Governmental Affairs.
Suwaiba Ahmad
Suwaiba Ahmad is an educationist and gender advocate. She is a lecturer at Bayero University, Kano, and currently directs the Centre for Gender Studies. Throughout her academic career, Ahmad has held several positions, including level coordinator, examination officer, PG coordinator, Sub Dean Academics, and Head of the Department of Science Education.
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