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See 10 New Ministries Tinubu Created, Modified

Published

2 years ago

August 17, 2023

President Bola Tinubu allocated portfolios to the 45 ministerial nominees on Wednesday, nine days after they were screened and confirmed by the Senate.

Recall that the allotted portfolios were announced to journalists by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale.

As Nigerians begin to react to who got what in Tinubu’s cabinet, Vanguard noted about 10 newly-created or modified ministries by the President.

Here are the portfolios that are created or modified in Tinubu’s cabinet:

1. Marine and Blue Economy

This is one of the new ministries created by Tinubu with Bunmi Tunji-Ojo as Minister. The marine and blue economy involves the economic activities associated with the oceans and seas.

The World Bank defines the blue economy as the “sustainable use of ocean resources to benefit economies, livelihoods, and ocean ecosystem health.”

The scope includes biotechnology, undersea cabling, coastal tourism, and renewable energy, among others.

Tunji-Ojo, the minister-designate in charge of the ministry, studied Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and studied Electronics and Communication Engineering at the University of North London, now London Metropolitan University.

He was a former member of the House of Representatives. He worked in committees such as National Security and Intelligence, Local Content, Gas Resources, North East Development Commission (NEDC), Housing, FCT Area Council and Ancillary Matters, Solid Minerals, and Pilgrims Affairs.

2. Tourism

Another newly-created ministry is Tourism. The President appointed Lola Ade-John as the minister. Tourism is one of the biggest economic activities in the world today. It involves the pursuit of recreation, relaxation, and pleasure while making use of the commercial provision of services.

Ade-John is a banking and tech expert. She studied Computer Science at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Ade-John is currently the Principal Consultant at Novateur Business Technology Consultants, a company she founded in 2014, having served in many capacities in the banking and tech sectors.

3. Art, Culture and the Creative Economy

This ministry combines three aspects. The culture sector was merged with information in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, with Lai Mohammed as minister.

Tinubu, however, has brought art and the creative economy to blend with the culture to be headed by Hannatu Musawa.

Arts deal with the application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.

Also, culture has branches of the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society. And the creative economy includes advertising, architecture, crafts, design, fashion, film, video, photography, music, performing arts, publishing, research and development, software, and computer games, electronic publishing, and television and radio activities.

Musawa has the task of managing all these to the advantage of the country, as Nigeria’s creative economy has become a big market already.

She holds a degree in Law from the University of Buckingham, the United Kingdom, and took a Postgraduate Master’s in the Legal Aspects of Marine Affairs from the University of Cardiff, Wales. She also has a Postgraduate Master’s Degree in Oil and Gas Law from the University of Aberdeen.

Musawa worked as the Deputy Spokesperson and Deputy Director of Public Affairs at the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Council Committee during the 2023 general elections and emerged as the Special Adviser to the President on Culture and Entertainment Economy.

4. Gas Resources

The Ministry of Gas Resources has been separated from Petroleum Resources. Nigeria is ranked 8th among countries with the biggest gas reserves, so there is a high expectation that the country will maximise it for its economic benefits.

Nigeria, according to a report, comes after the United Arab Emirates, UAE, with natural gas reserves of 5.85 trillion cubic meters.

Ekperikpe Ekpo has been appointed as the Minister of State for Gas Resources. He was a former Senatorial seat candidate and a career politician.

He is the Director General of the Akwa Ibom Democratic Forum (ADF). He is expected to work in the implementation of policies passed by the Tinubu administration that are directed at making Nigeria a gas-based country, by promoting industrialisation, power generation and distribution, clean cooking, and auto-use that are reliant on gas.

5. Steel Development

The steel development is another new ministry to be headed by Shuaibu Audu. The portfolio was carved out from Mines and Steel Development, which was headed by Olamilekan Adegbite under Buhari.

As Tinubu had pledged to complete the Ajaokuta Steel Company, which is expected to create thousands of jobs for Nigerians, the ministry will work on the improvement of all steel and metallic resources in the country for economic growth and development.

Shuaibu Audu, the son of the former governor of Kogi State, Abubakar Audu, has an impressive background as an executive director with Stanbic IBTC, holding an MBA from the University of Oxford and an MSC in international securities and investment banking from the ICMA Centre of Henley Business School, University of Reading.

6. Finance and Coordinating Economy

The portfolio of the coordinating minister was first created by former President Goodluck Jonathan, with the current Director-General, World Trade Organisation, WTO, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the Minister.

While it should be said that Buhari’s administration did not recognise such, Tinubu has re-created finance and coordinating economy and appointed his former commissioner, Wale Edun, to be in charge.

The finance and coordinating economy is aimed at setting guidelines for managing government financial risks, financial exposure with respect to all loans and instruments, borrowings and loans, and supervising all other finance-oriented parastatals and agencies, among others.

Edun has an impressive background in economics, public finance, international finance, merchant banking, and corporate finance at national and international levels.

He is the founder of Denham Management Limited and Chairman of Livewell Initiative, a health sector Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). Edun is also a Trustee of Sisters Unite for Children, an NGO dedicated to assisting needy children.

7. Health and Social Welfare

The President created social welfare and merged it with health to have an encompassing ministry.

Social welfare is catering to communities and people to survive, especially in remote areas. The social welfare assistance programmes offer food, shelter, and medical care that citizens cannot readily access.

Tinubu has allotted the portfolio to Professor Ali Pate, a physician and politician who is a Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership in the Department of Global Health and Population at Harvard University.

Pate formerly served as the Global Director for Health, Nutrition, and Population and Director of the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents (GFF) at the World Bank Group. Pate is also the former Minister of State for Health.

8. Aviation and Aerospace Development

Aerospace development was created and merged with Aviation and the President has appointed Festus Keyamo to be the minister.

While aviation has to do with the operation of airline agencies within and outside the country, aerospace is the advancement of human technology that enables the travel and exploration of the earth’s atmosphere and the surrounding space, including the aerospace engineering field covering research and development, design and manufacturing.

Keyamo is a legal practitioner and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). He served as the Minister of State for Labour and Employment in Buhari’s administration.

9. Youth Development

In the previous administrations, Sports and Youth were operated as a single ministry, but Tinubu has brought out the Ministry of Youth from it to be manned by Abubakar Momoh.

The youth development ministry is expected to focus on the optimal utilisation of Nigerian youths for national pride across the globe. It is estimated that 60 percent of Nigeria’s population is under the age of 25, larger than any African country.

Abubakar Momoh has been appointed as the Minister of Youth. He is a civic engineer and politician who has served twice as a member of the House of Representatives, representing Etsako federal constituency Edo state.

10. Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation

The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs is to develop humanitarian policies and provide effective coordination of national and international humanitarian interventions. Poverty alleviation is a designed set of measures, both economic and humanitarian, intended to lift people out of poverty.

The new ministry was created from the Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development under Buhari’s government, which was headed by Sadiya Farouq.

President Tinubu has allotted the modified ministry of humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation to Betta Edu, the former national women leader of APC.

Edu was Cross River State Commissioner for Health until her resignation in 2022. She was also the National Chairman of the Nigeria Health Commissioners Forum.

She has a Post-Graduate Diploma in Public Health for Developing Countries from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, a master’s degree in Public Health in Developing Countries from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a Doctor of Public Health from Texila American University.

Related Topics:#Tinubu minister Ministry

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Okpebholo Fires EDOGIS Managing Director

Published

7 minutes ago

November 27, 2025

Editor

Managing Director of the Edo State Geographic Information Service (EDOGIS), Dr. Tony Ikpasajah has been sacked.

Ikpasajah was reportedly sacked over issues relating to revocation of a 13, 545 hectares of land belonging to Presco Plc in Ologbo, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of the state.

Government sources said the Governor was embarrassed that he was not properly briefed about the issues.

The source, who confirmed the sack, said Ikpasajah has been issued an official letter relieving him of his appointment.

On Wednesday, Edo State Government, in an advertorial invoked sections Sections 28 and 38 of the Constitution to revoke the Presco land.

Barely 24 hours later, Secretary to the Edo State Government, Musa Ikhilor, said Ikpasajah acted unilaterally, without authorisation, and in complete disregard for established procedures and the actual number of hectares intended for excision from PRESCO PLC’s total landholding.

The statement said a formal administrative review has been initiated to address the unauthorised actions of the former EDOGIS Managing Director and to strengthen internal controls to prevent future breaches.

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Edo Govt, PDP Biker Over PRESCO’s Statutory Right Of Occupancy

Published

13 minutes ago

November 27, 2025

Editor

The Edo State Government and the main opposition—Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday engaged in verbal war over PRESCO PLC’s Statutory Right of Occupancy, a parcel of land Governor Monday Okpebholo purported revoked and later reversed within 24 hours.

In an advertorial (public notice) published by two national dailies on Wednesday, 26th November, 2025, and signed by Governor Okpebholo with the titled: ‘Revocation of Statutory Rights of Occupancy Pursuant to Sections 28 and 38,’ the Edo State Government announced the revocation of a parcel of land belonging PRESCO PLC in Ologbo, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of the state.

But in a swift backtrack on Thursday, 27th November, 2025, the Edo State Government in another advertorial published by the same national dailies, and signed by Umar Ikhilor, Secretary to the State Government with the title: ‘Disclaimer on Public Notice Purportedly Revoking Statutory Rights of Occupancy of PRESCO PLC,’ the state government distanced itself from the public notice (advertorial).

Ikhilor, who said the publication did not “emanate from the Executive Governor of Edo State nor from any authorised organ of the state government, added: “The government has verified that the immediate past Managing Director of Edo State Geographic Information Service (EDOGIS), acted unilaterally, without authorisation, and in complete disregard for established procedures and the actual numbers of hectares intended for excision from PRESCO PLC’s landholding.” As at when the first public notice was published, The EDOGIS MD was still an appointee of Governor Okpebholo.

Reacting to the development in a statement, State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Daniel Osa-Ogbegie, described the revocation and counter-revocation, as shameful.

The State Publicity Secretary who said “Edo people are witnessing a government that does not know what it signs,” stressed “it does not understand what it announces, and cannot defend what it authorises.”

He added: “This, apparently, is not governance.It is a circus. A dangerous circus.”

Osa-Ogbegie, while noting that “PRESCO PLC is not just a company; it is the single largest agro-industrial investment in Edo State, a 34-year pillar employing thousands directly and indirectly,” said: “Edo people deserve honest answers. Instead, they got a contradictory drama that exposes the hollowness of this administration.”

Reacting to PDP’s statement, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Prince Kassim Afegbua, who described the PDP as crying than the bereaved.

Afegbua, while stating that “the release by the Secretary to the Edo State Government that captured the essential details of the Government’s position should suffice, especially the Constitutional dimensions,” however admitted that there was an initial mix-up.

He said: “There were initial mix-up on the issue under discourse, but the explanation by the Secretary to the State Governor, gave a constitutional rationale for the position taken by government concerning land in oil minerals areas and one had thought, that was self-explanatory to any reasonable and rational mind, but because comedians must always trivialise scenarios, the PDP will never disappoint in their vainglory.”

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Edo: Foundation Puts Smile On Less Privileged Faces, Gives 100 Free Medical Surgery

Published

3 hours ago

November 27, 2025

Editor

Not less than a hundred less privileged patients on Wednesday in Benin benefited from a free medical surgery carried out by Dr. Paddy Emmanuel Foundation.

The surgical operations were carried out on ailments ranging from Fibroids, Hernia, Liponia breast lump and others.

Speaking, the founder and Edo State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Paddy Iyamu, said since the commencement of the free medical outreach in 2014, over 3000 persons have benefited in Edo and Delta.

Paddy, who said the programme was driven purely by compassion and not political motives, added: “Life is all about what you can give back to the people because you came with nothing and you go back with nothing. I have been giving back to society in the past 10 years to impact the people”, he said.

He stressed that many of the beneficiaries could not have afforded the cost of treatment on their own.

“This gesture is outside politics. We started as far back as 2014 and we have been doing it every year. Some persons who come for treatment tell you they have not had food to eat, not to talk of getting money, which sometimes runs into millions, to give to the doctor.

“The experience in the last 10 years has been fulfilling and impactful. I am happy to see burdens lifted off people.

“Life is vanity and when you are gone, you will be remembered for what you have done. I hope to continue till Jesus calls me.”

Director General of the foundation, Mr. Zion Oshiobugie, explained that while the first nine editions of the medical outreach were held in Delta State, the 10th edition marks the first time Edo residents were benefitting from the initiative.

Oshiobugie noted that the annual programme is fully funded by the founder, Dr. Paddy Iyamu, who dedicates his birthday every year to providing life-changing healthcare for indigent citizens.

According to him, “What he does is to mark his birthday on the 30th of November every year with the free surgeries which have benefitted 3,000 persons. He wants humanity to benefit from his birthday instead of just partying.

“So this programme, which takes place for one week every year, is borne out of love for humanity, which is in line with the motto of our foundation, ” Touching Lives”

“Every year, we partner with our surgeon, Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu, who brings his team from Lagos. He has been one of our partners and he is a respected member of the Nigeria Medical Association.”

Partners and team lead of the medical personnel from Lagos, Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu, expressed his commitment to the outreach, disclosing his personal calling to give back after surviving a ghastly motor accident years ago.

“I am here with 24 members of my team from Lagos. We perform fibroid surgeries which have allowed women to have their own children. We also perform hernia, lipoma, breast lump and other surgeries.

“Last week, we got a text that one of the women we operated on in 2020 now has three kids. That means this intervention is creating relief for our people.

“The focus is on the less privileged because when you do this, you give it to God. Each year we come back, people give testimonies of the good things that have happened to them.”

A 19-year-old Nelson Ehigie who benefited from the free medical operation, thanked the foundation for the free surgery.

“I’m very grateful to Dr. Paddy Foundation. My parents couldn’t afford the cost so we had to come here for the surgery. God bless Dr. Iyamu,” he said.