President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday officially swore in Mr Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe as the new Minister of Power and Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The brief ceremony was attended by family members of the appointees, senior government officials and members of the Federal Executive Council.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed the development in a statement issued on Monday.
The appointments followed the resignation of former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, who stepped down to pursue political ambitions ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking shortly after the inauguration, President Tinubu reportedly charged the new ministers to bring their wealth of experience to bear in advancing his administration’s reform agenda.
“You have been entrusted with critical responsibilities at a crucial time for the nation. I expect dedication, innovation and service to the Nigerian people,” the President said.
Joseph Tegbe, a native of Ibadan in Oyo State, is widely regarded as a fiscal and economic reform expert with more than three decades of experience spanning both the public and private sectors.
He graduated with a First Class degree in Civil Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University and later obtained Master’s degrees in Business Administration and Public Administration from institutions in Switzerland and Birmingham respectively.
Before his appointment, Tegbe served as Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services at KPMG Africa, where he coordinated several transformational and policy reform initiatives across government institutions.
He also worked with notable organisations including the Nigerian Communications Commission, Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Shell, Huawei, MTN, General Electric and Odu’a Group.
In his remarks, Tegbe pledged to prioritise reforms capable of improving electricity supply and strengthening investor confidence in the power sector.
“We will work tirelessly to ensure sustainable progress in the power sector and deliver results that Nigerians can feel,” he said.
Also inaugurated was Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, a seasoned diplomat from Igbagun in Kogi State, who now assumes office as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
Enikanolaiye graduated with a First Class degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he emerged as the best graduating student in his faculty.
He later earned a Master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy with distinction from the University of Lagos.
He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1982 and rose through the ranks to become Permanent Secretary of the ministry in 2016 before retiring from service in August 2017 after 35 years.
Throughout his diplomatic career, he served in several Nigerian missions including Addis Ababa, Belgrade, Ottawa, London and New Delhi, where he was Nigeria’s Head of Mission before retirement.
Until his latest appointment, Enikanolaiye served as Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Foreign Affairs and International Relations in the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.
The veteran diplomat assured Nigerians of his commitment to strengthening the country’s foreign relations and international partnerships.
“Nigeria’s foreign policy objectives will remain focused on national interest, strategic partnerships and global cooperation,” he stated.
