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One year after swearing in his 45 ministers, President Bola Tinubu sacked five of them after months of speculations about his plan to reshuffle his cabinet.
Nigerians have been expecting the President to make some changes in his team as some ministerial appointees failed to rise to the task assigned to them.
So, to rejig his cabinet, the President on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, sacked Uju-Ken Ohanenye, the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Lola Ade-John, the Minister of Tourism; Tahir Mamman, the Minister of Education; Abdullahi Gwarzo, the Minister of State, Housing, and Urban Development; and Jamila Ibrahim, the Minister of Youth Development.
The President also announced the nomination of seven new ministerial nominees to replace the dismissed ministers and head two new ministries.
Here’s a brief profile of President Tinubu’s new ministerial nominees.
Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu
Born in August 1968 to the former Governor of Anambra State, Christian Onoh, and his wife, Carol, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu was nominated to serve as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
Bianca studied law at the University of Nigeria Nsukka and proceeded to the Nigerian Law School after her graduation.
In 1994, she married the late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and their union produced three children, Chineme, Afamefuna, and Nwachukwu.
Bianca is a multiple international pageant titleholder. She won the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, Miss Africa, and Miss Intercontinental awards. She also represented Nigeria at the Miss World in Hong Kong and Miss Universe in Mexico.
The 57-year-old diplomat was Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain in 2012.
Dr. Jumoke Oduwole
President Tinubu nominated Dr. Jumoke Oduwole to serve in the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment.
She is an alumnus of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and obtained her master’s degree in International Legal Studies from Stanford University, USA.
Currently, she is a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government.
Oduwole served under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari as a Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business.
She was President Tinubu's Senior Special Assistant on Industry, Trade & Investment in the Office of the Vice President before the President promoted her to lead the ministry.
Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi
Born in 1953 in Dingyadi, Sokoto State, Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi was nominated to head the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
He had his Secondary Education at the Government College in Sokoto after which he proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he graduated in 1978.
This is not his first time holding a ministerial position. During the Muhammadu Buhari administration, Dingyadi was the Minister of Police Affairs.
He once represented Bodinga Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives.
Dr Suwaiba Said Ahmad
Dr Suwaiba Said Ahmad is a trained educationist nominated to lead the Ministry of Education.
Born in February 1981, in Jigawa State, she had her primary and secondary education at Bayero University Staff Primary and Secondary Schools.
She obtained a Bachelor of Science Education in Chemistry from Bayero University, Kano in 2003, and a Master of Education (M.Ed.) from the same university in 2009.
She thereafter proceeded to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where she bagged a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Science Education in 2014.
She is currently an Associate Professor of Chemistry Education at Bayero University. Before that, she served as the Provost of the Jigawa State College of Education.
As an educationist and distinguished academic, Dr Ahmad has over 18 years of experience in the education field.
Yusuf Abdullahi Ata
If the Senate approves his nomination, Yusuf Abdullahi Ata will be the next political appointee to lead the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development following the dismissal of his predecessor, Abdullahi Gwarzo.
Born in June 1962 at Fagge Local Government of Kano State, Ata started his Western education at Fagge Primary School in 1968, three years after his enrolment at a Quranic school.
He attended the Kano Community Commercial College and obtained a degree in Economics from Bayero University, Kano.
In 1999, Ata was elected as a member of the Kano State House of Assembly to represent the Fagge constituency. Having served for two terms, he became the Speaker of the Assembly in 2021 after his third election into the House.
Dr. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda
The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction will have a new boss when Dr Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda officially replaces Betta Edu.
Yilwatde was born in Dungung, Plateau State in August 1968.
He was the governorship candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state in the 2023 general election.
He is an alumnus of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, where he had his first degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering in 1992.
He also had his MSc and PhD from the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka respectively.
Mukhtar Maiha
If the Senate approves his nomination, Mukhtar Miaha will surely become the pioneer Minister of Livestock Development.
He is the Managing Director of Zaidi Farms Limited.