Tinubu inaugurates three new ministers into 48-person cabinet

 President Bola Tinubu has sworn in three additional ministers into his 48-person cabinet.

Jamila Bio Ibrahim, Ayodele Olawande, and Balarabe Lawal took their oaths at 12:15 pm in the Council Chamber of the State House, just before the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by Tinubu.

This event occurred almost two weeks after the Senate cleared the trio following their screening on October 4, 2023. On September 17, 2023, President Tinubu had nominated Ibrahim and Olawande as Minister of Youth and Minister of State for Youth, respectively.

Additionally, Tinubu requested the Senate to screen Balarabe Lawal as a minister from Kaduna, with Lawal replacing his predecessor, Nasir El-Rufai, as the minister of the environment.

Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim, 37, a medical doctor and advocate of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, hails from Kwara State. Before her recent appointment, she was the National President of the APC Young Women Forum.

Mr. Ayodele Olawande, 34, a community development expert and youth leader within the All Progressives Congress, previously served as the special adviser on innovation to former President Muhammadu Buhari and the office of Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo from 2019 to 2023.

Before commencing the meeting, the Council observed a minute’s silence in memory of Mobolaji Ajose-Adeogun, who passed away on July 1, 2023, at the age of 96. Ajose-Adeogun was appointed the Minister of Federal Capital in 1976 by the Murtala Mohammed military regime and served in the position till 1979.

This gathering marks the second council meeting since President Tinubu’s assumption of office on May 29, 2023, after a 48-day hiatus from the previous meeting. The Federal Executive Council is a vital body of the Nigerian government charged with formulating policies and executing government projects to aid the President in discharging executive functions.