Tinubu Swears In New Power Minister, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday swore in Mr. Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe as the new Minister of Power and Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs at a ceremony held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The brief event was attended by the ministers’ spouses and senior government officials.

The appointments followed the resignations of former Power Minister, Adebayo Adelabu, and former Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, who stepped down to pursue political ambitions. Both new ministers were nominated by President Tinubu and subsequently confirmed by the Senate on May 6, 2026.

Tegbe, an indigene of Ibadan in Oyo State, brings more than 35 years of experience in fiscal, economic and institutional reforms across the public and private sectors. A first-class graduate of Civil Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, he also holds master’s degrees in Business Administration and Public Administration.

Before his appointment, Tegbe served as Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services at , where he led several transformation and reform initiatives, including major presidential and subnational government projects. He has also worked with key institutions and companies, including the Nigerian Communications Commission, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Shell, Huawei, General Electric, and MTN.

Ambassador Enikanolaiye, from Igbagun in Kogi State, is a career diplomat with over three decades of service in Nigeria’s foreign service. He graduated with a first-class degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University and later earned a distinction in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos.

He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1982 and rose to become Permanent Secretary in 2016 before retiring in August 2017 after 35 years of service. During his diplomatic career, he served in Nigeria’s missions in Addis Ababa, Belgrade, Ottawa, London and New Delhi, where he was Nigeria’s Head of Mission.

Until his 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 new ministers are expected to immediately assume responsibility for their respective portfolios as the administration seeks to strengthen governance and service delivery in the power and foreign affairs sectors.