Tinubu reshuffles yet-to-be constituted cabinet, appoints Momoh Niger Delta minister

Ahead of today’s inauguration of the Ministers-designate, President Bola Tinubu last night did some last minute adjustments to the designations announced last week Wednesday in some reshuffling expected to cause stir within political circles and power brokers.

After some stakeholders’ reaction to the non-designation of a substantive minister for Niger Delta, raising doubts as to the scrap of the ministry, President Tinubu appointed Engr. Abubakar Momoh, from Edo State, as the Minister of Niger Delta Development. The president announced this in a statement, which was issued on his behalf by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale.

Momoh was formerly deployed to the Ministry of Youth. In the statement, the president announced that a new Youth Minister would be appointed soon.
The president also changed some portfolios as listed below. “Adegboyega Oyetola is redeployed as the Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Bunmi Tunji-Ojo is redeployed as the Minister of Interior, and Sa’idu Alkali is redeployed as the Minister of Transportation.

“Furthermore, both Ministers of State in the Oil & Gas sector are now domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources with the following designations: Senator Heineken Lokpobiri is the Minister of State (Oil), Petroleum Resources, and Ekperipe Ekpo is the Minister of State (Gas), Petroleum Resources.”

The President also approved the renaming of the Federal Ministry of Environment and Ecological Management as the Federal Ministry of Environment.

“All aforementioned changes take immediate effect by these directives of the President,” the statement read.

Leaders of the Niger Delta region had at the weekend rejected the scraping of the Ministry. The leaders hosted by an elder stateman and foremost leader of the region, Chief Edwin Clark, under the aegis of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) described the action as “misguided” and an invitation to anarchy. They asked the president to reverse himself by preserving and sustaining the ministry under his administration.

While emphasising the compelling need to urgently correct the anomaly, they warned that the action would create “unfavorable environment with adverse consequences.”