After OSUN DEFENDER Story, Presidency Changes Ministerial Portfolios of Momoh, Oyetola, Others

… Recreates Niger Delta Ministry

President Bola Tinubu, on Sunday night, redeployed his Ministers-designate, reassigng them to various ministries from the ones they were assigned previously.

In the new arrangement, the former Governor of Osun State, Adegboyega Oyetola, was redeployed to the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy while Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo earlier deployed to the ministry was assigned to the Ministry of Inteiror.

OSUN DEFENDER had reported on August 17 that Oyetola was saddled to the Ministry of Transportation after critical agencies were moved to the newly created Ministry.

The agencies removed from the transport ministry as restructured by President Tinubu are the Nigeria Port Authority, Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, National Inland Waterways Authority, and Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding of Nigeria.

Sources informed OSUN DEFENDER that only the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology and Nigerian Railway Corporation were to be left under the supervision of Mr. Oyetola, who some have accused of being incompetent and lacking the requisite skills to manage a ministry as sensitive as the Ministry of Transportation that had before housed those vital agencies of government

The former governor during his screening for the ministerial position at the Nigerian Senate claimed he possesses over 30 years of cognate experience in both the private and public sector.

However, information emerged on Sunday night that in the wake of OSUN DEFENDER’s report, Oyetola approached the Presidency lobbying to get another Ministry, as the once juicy Ministry had been rendered useless by the restructuring efforts.

The former governor, a close ally of President Tinubu met several key players in the Presidency to effect the change.

The source who was privy to the redeployment said the former governor prevailed on the key members of the government to change his ministry, a move that necessitated the reorganisation.

Recreates Niger Delta Ministry

Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, in a statement on Sunday evening, said President Bola Tinubu has approved the redeployment of Engr. Abubakar Momoh from the Federal Ministry of Youth to the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Development.

You will recall the Ministry of Niger Delta Development was left out when portfolios were handed over to minister-designate last week.

The statement seen by Osun Defender also said Ministers-Designate allocated to the Federal Ministries of Transportation, Interior, and Marine & Blue Economy have been reshuffled as follows:

“H.E. Adegboyega Oyetola is redeployed as the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Hon. Bunmi Tunji-Ojo is redeployed as the Honourable Minister of Interior, while Hon. Sa’idu Alkali is redeployed as the Honourable Minister of Transportation.”

Ngelale said: “Furthermore, both Ministers of State in the Oil & Gas sector are now domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources with the following designations:

“Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri is the Hon. Minister of State (Oil), Petroleum Resources, while Hon. Ekperipe Ekpo is the Hon. Minister of State (Gas), Petroleum Resources.

President Tinubu, according to the statement, 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 said.

The Ministers-designate will be sworn-in on today, August 21, at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.