*Appoints Oduwole, Yilwatda, Dingyadi, Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Maiha, Ata, Ahmad, redeploys 10

*Niger Delta ministry merged in new regional development ministry, tourism now infused into art, culture and creative economy 

*FG issues Oct 30 ultimatum to affected ministers to complete handover exercise

Deji Elumoye, Olawale Ajimotokan, Sunday Aborisade in Abuja and Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano

Three weeks after hinting at a possible cabinet reshuffle, and 17 months into his administration, President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, made good his promise as he discharged five ministers, appointed seven new ones, and reassigned 10 of the cabinet members.
The discharged ministers were Uju-Ken Ohanenye (Women Affairs), Lola Ade-John (Tourism), Prof Tahir Mamman (Education), Abdullahi Muhammad Gwarzo (State, Housing and Urban Development), and Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim (Youth Development).

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who announced the development to newsmen at the State House, Abuja, after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, later clarified that the ministers were not sacked but discharged.
Speaking on a national television, he explained that the term “sacked” did not accurately describe their departure, insisting that the “ministers were not sacked; they were discharged.”

Onanuga listed the 10 redeployed ministers to include Hon. Dr. Yusuf Tanko Sununu former Minister of State, Education,  now Minister of State Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction; Dr. Morufu Olatunji Alausa, Minister of State for Health, now Minister of Education; Bello Muhammad Goronyo Minister of State, Water Resources and Sanitation, now Minister of State Works.
Also on this list were Hon. Abubakar Eshiokpekha Momoh, Minister of Niger Delta Development now Minister of Regional Development; Uba Maigari Ahmadu Minister of State Steel Development, now Minister of State Regional Development; Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment now Minister of State Finance; Senator John Owan Enoh, Minister of Sports Development now Minister of State Trade and Investment  (Industry).

Still, among those reassigned were Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim,  Minister of State, Police Affairs now Minister of Women Affairs; Ayodele Olawande, Minister of State for Youth Development now Minister for Youth Development and Dr. Salako Iziaq Adekunle Adeboye, Minister of State, Environment now Minister of State, Health.
The presidential aide further explained that Tinubu has approved the immediate implementation of eight far-reaching actions to reinvigorate the administration’s capacity for optimal efficiency pursuant of his commitment to deliver on his promises to Nigerians.
According to him, the eight actions included “The renaming of the Ministry of Nigeria Delta Development to Ministry of Regional Development to oversee the activities of all the Regional Development Commissions.

“The merger of the Federal Ministry of Tourism and the Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture to become Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy; the re-assignment of 10 ministers to new ministerial portfolios and the discharge of five Ministers.
“The nomination of seven (7) new ministers for onward transmission to Senate for confirmation. The appointment of Shehu Dikko as Chairman of the National Sports Commission.

“The appointment of Sunday Akin Dare as Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication and Orientation working from the Ministry of Information and National Orientation.”
The President, according to Onanuga, thanked the outgoing members of the Federal Executive Council for their service to the nation while wishing them the best in their future endeavours.

He further said the president also directed that the sports commission would henceforth handle all sports activities and programmes initially handled by the Ministry of Sports Development.
According to him, with the scrapping of the Ministry of Tourism, all of its activities have been brought to the Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy.

Providing further clarity, the Minister of the newly created Ministry of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, who was in charge of the scrapped Ministry of Niger Delta Development, said the NDDC was still in place.
The minister also explained that the Ministry of Niger Delta Development was renamed and given a greater responsibility under the Ministry of Regional Development.
He explained that the new ministry was created to supervise all the agencies under the Ministry of Niger Delta Development and other regional commissions in the country.

“All the structures and everything about the Niger Delta remains. It’s just a change of nomenclature and, of course, expansion of activities of the ministry. So, I think it’s something worth to be commended,” he said.
Meanwhile, the federal government has ordered the five ministers that were discharged and the 10 that were reassigned to new portfolios to finalise the handing over and taking over processes on or before October 30, 2024.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, issued the clarification yesterday, adding that in the case of ministries without ministers to take-over, the out-going ministers should hand over to the substantive permanent secretaries.

The statement also said the processes for the seamless merger of the Ministry of Tourism with Ministry of Arts Culture and Creative Economy as well as the winding down of the defunct Ministry of Sports Development were being coordinated jointly by the Offices of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.
Akume added that the renaming and the expansion of mandate of the defunct Ministry of Niger Delta Development would take immediate effect.

Kano’s Nominee for Housing, Abdullahi Yusuf Ata, Pledges to Serve with Integrity

The newly nominated minister from Kano State, Abdullahi Yusuf Ata, has pledged to serve the country with diligence and Integrity.
Speaking with party supporters, who thronged his home at Fagge Local Government Area, in the metropolis, Ata vowed not to betray the trust bestowed on him by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the discharge of his official duties.
He also promised to work round the clock to ensure the successes of Tinubu’s administration and that of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to deliver on the mandate of his ministry.
“As an Honourable Minister of Nigeria, I will not betray the trust bestowed on me by Mr. President, and I will work round the clock with my management team to deliver on the mandate of the ministry,” he said.

[Thisday]

Prominent South-South leader, Edwin Clark, has countered the decision of President Bola Tinubu to scrap the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.

The former federal commissioner for information argued that there is no basis for the President to scrap the Ministry, alleging that the plan of the Nigerian leader is to use the money from the region to develop other regions of the country.

Naija News recalls President Tinubu, on Wednesday, scrapped the Niger Delta Ministry and the Ministry of Sports Development.

Tinubu said a Ministry of Regional Development would oversee all the regional development commissions, such as the Niger Delta Development Commission, North West Development Commission, South West Development Commission, and North East Development Commission.

The National Sports Commission will take over the role of the Ministry of Sports.

However, Clark, who is the leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), saidPresident Tinubu has no good plans for the people of Niger Delta.

He argued that President Umaru Yar’Adua created the Ministry for the development of the region and to curb insecurity in the region; therefore, President Tinubu has no basis for scrapping the Ministry.

He said, “The news came to me as a surprise. There’s no basis for scrapping it now, Yar’Adua had a poised for creating it, to develop the Niger Delta Region and Nigeria, to bring peace to the region.

“What I have noted so far is that there is no basis for scrapping it. Yar’Adua had a clear purpose to address the security situation in the Niger Delta, which led to the creation of the Ministry to focus on the development of that area. We have been working for some time now, managing our commissions.

“It is not about that; it is the administrative structure created by the President. Unfortunately, it was misunderstood by Nigerians due to its complexity.

“Why would you take over a Ministry without any development plans, funding, or concrete actions? Even the East-West Road, which was meant to be under the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, is not being addressed; it has been handed back to the Ministry of Works.

“What I am saying is that the federal government lacks special arrangements for this region. When I saw that every region was establishing its development centres or Commissions, I anticipated these issues would arise.

“Are there going to be multiple ministries within one region? One would expect that 30 or 40 people would have walked out to share the details.

“I remember during the national conference in 2014, it was decided to increase the revenue allocation to the regions from 13% to 25%. Ultimately, it was settled at 18%, but we disagreed, which led to further discussions about a separate fund to support development post-Boko Haram.

“There was also an agreement that 5% of the federation account would be allocated annually to support regions affected by the conflict. Unfortunately, this has not been implemented.

“We also agreed that 5% of the revenue account should be dedicated to developing mineral resources and other industries to enhance local capacity. I was pleased with these discussions, but they haven’t translated into action, which is disturbing.

“The government needs to consult with the leaders of the Niger Delta and the South-South region. What we ate saying is that these unresolved issues cannot be overlooked by the government.”

Clark further said the decision to scrap the Ministry should not be a unilateral decision and the government must explain the reason for its action to the people.

“The government must explain why they decided to halt critical legislation. This raises concerns about how the benefits of regional developments are being managed. Many people feel disconnected from the process, and it seems resources are being diverted from local needs.

“We need to ensure that regional development isn’t scrapped without a clear plan for its replacement. We will not allow it to be scrapped, the government wants to use South South money to develop other Development Commissions.

“In a democratic system, the government should be created for the people, by the people, and for their benefit. It shouldn’t operate as a one-man show,” Clark added.

Apostle Johnson Suleman, Senior Pastor and General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries International, has responded to Nollywood actress Halima Abubakar’s public apology for her defamatory comments, asserting that forgiveness does not equate to memory loss.

In a terse statement on X.com on Wednesday, Suleman said, “You all stop calling my phone. Forgiveness is not memory loss! Status quo maintained!”

The statement comes after Abubakar issued a public apology to Suleman for her defamatory remarks against him.

In a statement shared on her Instagram account, Abubakar admitted that her past statements were “false and hurtful.”

The actress expressed regret for the pain she inflicted with the allegations while pleading for forgiveness from Apostle Suleman and his family.

She stated that her actions were due to poor judgment at the time, adding that the apology was motivated by “deep reflection and conscience.”

Abubakar had alleged on social media in 2022 that she had a romantic relationship with Suleman, prompting threats of legal action from the cleric over “defamatory statements.”

The controversy intensified in 2023 when the actress claimed she had been pregnant three times with Suleman’s child.

A Federal Capital Territory High Court had in April ordered Abubakar to pay N10 million in damages for publishing derogatory comments against Suleman.

The court also restrained her from further publishing defamatory statements against the cleric.

The judge also ordered Abubakar to publish a retraction of her defamatory statements on her Instagram handle #Halimabubakar.

On Tuesday, Ola Olukoyede, the chairperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), recounted an encounter with a 17-year-old cybercrime suspect.

Speaking at the launch of the 24/7 Cybercrime Rapid Response Desk in Abuja, Mr Olukoyede said the boy, whose name was not given, demonstrated surprising computer proficiency that left him shocked.

“And I gave him my laptop. ‘How do you do this, young man?’ By the way, he is not even studying science. He is studying history. But you need to see the proficiency.

“He opened my system and without giving him my password, he decoded my system.

“And I was there, shocked. I mean, this is not funny. I mean, that shows the skills that we have in Nigeria.”

He continued, “And before you could say that, he said, ‘Sir, which bank do you use?’ I said, ‘No, I’m not going to tell you that. I don’t want to demonstrate that in my office.’ But he was ready to probably go into my account.”

Mr Olukoyede said he sought to know the motivation driving the boy’s cybercrime activities.

“’Why do you do this?’ And he told me because there is no alternative. He had to pay his school fees – a 100-year-level student,” he said.

He said from his encounter with the boy, he realised that “This job can’t be left to EFCC law. It’s a collective responsibility,” stressing the need to redirect such talents.

“We must change the narrative—from criminality to productivity and from cybercrime to cyberwealth,” he said.