Victor Ezeja
Ahead of Monday, August 21 swearing in on newly appointed ministers, Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has approved the reshuffling of ministerial portfolios.
Former governor of Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola, who was earlier assigned to the Ministry of Transportation, had been transferred to the ministry of Marine & Blue Economy.
This was confirmed in a statement released by the president’s spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale.
According to the statement, Tinubu also ordered the transfer of Abubakar Momoh from the Federal Ministry of Youth to the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Development.
Recall that the president had last week assigned 45 ministerial portfolios.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelNiger Delta Ministry was not among those assigned ministers. There were also reports indicating that the Federal Government had plans to scrap the ministry which prompted stakeholders from the Niger Delta region to raise eyebrows.
The reshuffle is considered a move to calm fraying nerves.
According to Ngelale, a minister-designate will shortly be assigned to the Federal Ministry of Youth.
Tinubu also redeployed a minister-designate, Bunmi Tunji-Ojo, to the Ministry of Interior while Sa’idu Alkali was redeployed to the Ministry of Transportation.
The president also approved the renaming of the Federal Ministry of Environment and Ecological Management as the Federal Ministry of Environment.
The statement added: “Furthermore, both Ministers of State in the Oil & Gas sector are now domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources with the following designations:
“(i) Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri is the Hon. Minister of State (Oil), Petroleum Resources
“(ii) Hon. Ekperipe Ekpo is the Hon. Minister of State (Gas), Petroleum Resources
“The President approves the renaming of the Federal Ministry of Environment and Ecological Management as the Federal Ministry of Environment.”
The changes takes immediate effect, Ngelale said in the statement.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
