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, following the exit of two cabinet members who resigned to pursue political ambitions.

The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in the presence of family members of the appointees, senior government officials and aides of the President.

The appointments followed the resignations of former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, who left the Federal Executive Council to further their political careers ahead of the 2027 elections.

Both nominees were recently screened and confirmed by the Senate before their inauguration.

Speaking through a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency highlighted the extensive professional and diplomatic credentials of the newly appointed ministers.

The new Minister of Power, Mr. Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, is an accomplished economist, reform strategist and management consultant with more than three decades of experience spanning the public and private sectors.

A native of Ibadan, Oyo State, Tegbe graduated with a First Class degree in Civil Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University before obtaining a Master of Business Administration degree in Switzerland and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Birmingham.

Prior to his appointment, he served as Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services at KPMG Africa, where he played key roles in designing and implementing major government reforms, fiscal restructuring initiatives and public sector transformation programmes.

His professional engagements have covered several strategic institutions and corporations, including the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET), Nigeria Revenue Service, Shell, Huawei, General Electric, MTN and Odu’a Group.

Observers believe his extensive experience in institutional reforms and economic policy implementation may prove valuable in addressing Nigeria’s longstanding power sector challenges.

Also sworn in was Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, a seasoned diplomat and former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Born in Igbagun, Kogi State, 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 and won the Dean’s Prize.

He later obtained a Master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy with distinction from the University of Lagos.

He joined Nigeria’s Foreign Service in 1982 and rose through the ranks to become Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before retiring in 2017 after 35 years of service.

During his diplomatic career, he served in several Nigerian missions abroad, including Ethiopia, Serbia, Canada, the United Kingdom and India, where he served as Nigeria’s Head of Mission.

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.

He is a recipient of several national and professional honours, including the Presidential Civil Service Merit Award, Presidential Distinguished Public Service Career Award and Distinguished Fellow of the National Defence College.