President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday stunned Nigerians by relinquishing five ministers in a major cabinet reshuffle since August 2023. Those affected included the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye; Minister of Tourism, Lola Ade-John; Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman; Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, Abdullahi Gwarzo and the Minister of Youth Development, Jamila Ibrahim.
This was disclosed in a statement by the presidency, with no reason given for their dismissal from the President’s cabinet.
“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,” the presidency said in a statement.
“He then charged the newly appointed ministers as well as 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 actualisation of the government’s priorities.”
— Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) October 23, 2024
The President also announced the re-assignment of 10 ministers to new portfolios and the nomination of seven new ministers for onward transmission to the senate for confirmation.
Below are the brief details of the five sacked ministers:
- Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye: She was born on December 23, 1973.
Kennedy-Ohanenye earned her Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1996 and was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in 1997.
She bagged a Master of Laws degree from the University of Abuja in 2002. She become a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015 and declared her candidacy for the presidency during the 2023 general elections, making history as the first woman to do so under the APC.
Her campaign emphasized women’s empowerment, economic development, security, and anti-corruption. She opted to step down from the presidential race and publicly endorsed Bola Tinubu, the former governor of Lagos State.
On 21 August 2023, she was appointed as the Minister of Women Affairs by President Bola Tinubu, succeeding Pauline Tallen, who resigned for health reasons. Kennedy-Ohanenye was sworn in at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye and became the third woman to hold this position after Aisha Alhassan and Pauline Tallen.
- Minister of Tourism, Lola Ade-John: She was born on June 8, 1979. She studied computer science at the University of Ibadan and graduated in 1984. She also holds a master’s degree from the same field and the same institution.
After working with Shell Petroleum as a systems analyst, Ade-John proceeded to work with Magnum Trust Bank, Access Bank, United Bank for Africa and Ecobank. After her time in the banking sector, she set up Novateur Business Technology Consultants in 2013.
She was appointed Minister of Tourism by President Tinubu on 16th August 2023. The minister assumed office five days later.
- Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman: Born July 7, 1954, the 70-year-old Mamman is a lawyer, professor and academic. Before his ministerial appointment in 2023, he was the Director-General of the Nigerian Law School from 2005 to 2013.
He has also served in several capacities including as former Vice Chancellor of Baze University, Abuja and member of governing board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
- Housing and Urban Development, Abdullahi Gwarzo: He hails from Kano State and was appointed minister on August 21, 2023. He is a Muslim from Gwarzo Local Government Area and was born on September 23, 1960.