President Bola Tinubu has sworn in Joseph Tegbe as Minister of Power and Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, following the departure of their predecessors from the Federal Executive Council.
The brief ceremony took place at the Presidential Villa in Abuja and was attended by the ministers’ spouses, senior government officials and aides.
Mr Tegbe replaces Adebayo Adelabu, while Ambassador Enikanolaiye takes over from Yusuf Tuggar. Both former ministers resigned their positions to pursue political ambitions ahead of upcoming electoral activities.
The appointments come weeks after the Senate confirmed the nominees submitted by President Tinubu.
According to a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Mr Tegbe brings more than three decades of experience in fiscal, economic and institutional reforms across the public and private sectors.
The statement described the new power minister as a stakeholder engagement expert and reform strategist with more than 35 years of professional experience.
“He holds a First Class Degree in Civil Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, a Master’s degree in Business Administration (Switzerland) and a Master’s degree in Public Administration (Birmingham),” the statement said.
Before his appointment, Mr Tegbe served as Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services at KPMG Africa, where he led major reform initiatives and advised governments on economic transformation strategies.
The presidency said he played key roles in fiscal policy restructuring and worked with organisations including the Nigerian Communications Commission, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading, Shell, Huawei, General Electric and MTN.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Enikanolaiye, a career diplomat from Kogi State, brings 35 years of experience in Nigeria’s foreign service.
“He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and rose to the position of Director. He was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry from which he retired after 35 years in service,” the statement added.
The diplomat holds a First Class degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he graduated as the best student in his faculty, and a Master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos with distinction.
Throughout his diplomatic career, he served in Nigerian missions in Ethiopia, Serbia, Canada and the United Kingdom, and most recently headed Nigeria’s mission in India.
The presidency noted that Ambassador Enikanolaiye is a recipient of several honours, including the Presidential Civil Service Merit Award and the Presidential Distinguished Public Service Career Award.
Before his appointment as minister, he served as Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Foreign Affairs and International Relations in the Office of the Chief of Staff.
