President Bola Tinubu on Monday inaugurated Joseph Tegbe as the new Minister of Power and Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs during a ceremony held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The event was attended by family members of the new ministers, senior government officials and members of the Federal Executive Council. Their appointments came after the resignation of former Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu and former Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar, who stepped down ahead of the All Progressives Congress primary elections held in May 2026.
The President had nominated both men on May 5, 2026, while the Senate confirmed their appointments a day later after screening them.
Their inauguration marks another round of changes within the Federal Executive Council following a directive issued earlier this year requiring ministers seeking elective offices to resign before participating in party primaries. The directive led to the exit of several cabinet members and paved the way for fresh appointments into key ministries.
Enikanolaiye, who now serves as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, previously worked as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and International Relations. His appointment fills the position left vacant after Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu moved into the role of substantive Minister of Foreign Affairs following Tuggar’s resignation.
A seasoned diplomat, Enikanolaiye spent more than three decades in Nigeria’s foreign service. He studied Political Science at Ahmadu Bello University, graduating with top honours, before earning a master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos. Throughout his diplomatic career, he served in several countries, including Ethiopia, Serbia, Canada, the United Kingdom and India.
He rose through the ranks of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and eventually became Permanent Secretary before retiring from public service in 2017. Since then, he has remained involved in government affairs and foreign policy matters.
Joseph Tegbe takes charge of the Ministry of Power at a time when the government is pursuing reforms in the electricity sector. Born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Tegbe brings more than 35 years of experience from both the public and private sectors.
He graduated with a First Class degree in Civil Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University and later obtained postgraduate degrees in business administration and public administration from institutions in Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Before joining the cabinet, Tegbe held leadership positions in several organisations and worked with institutions connected to finance, telecommunications, energy and public policy. He also served as Director-General and Global Liaison of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership.
His professional experience includes advisory roles involving government reforms, fiscal management and infrastructure development. He has worked with agencies and companies such as the Nigerian Communications Commission, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading, Shell, Huawei, General Electric and MTN.
Tinubu first constituted his cabinet in August 2023 with the inauguration of 45 ministers. Since then, the administration has carried out several changes involving ministerial appointments, replacements and portfolio adjustments.
The latest inauguration adds another chapter to the ongoing reshaping of the cabinet as the administration continues to fill positions left vacant by ministers who exited government to pursue political ambitions ahead of the 2027 election cycle.