Events

President Tinubu swears in minister of power, minister of state for foreign affairs

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Monday, swore in Mr Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe as the new Minister of Power and Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye as the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

The short event took place at the Presidential Villa in the presence of the ministers’ spouses and senior government officials.
Following the resignations of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, to further their political careers, the President nominated the two new ministers, who the Senate duly cleared on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.

The new Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, born in Ibadan, Oyo State, is a renowned fiscal, economic and institutional reform strategist and stakeholder engagement expert with over 35 years of professional experience across the public and private sectors.

He holds a First Class Degree in Civil Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, a Master’s degree in Business Administration (Switzerland) and a Master’s degree in Public Administration (Birmingham).

He worked as a Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services at KPMG in Africa, where he led transformational initiatives, including the design and implementation of major presidential reforms, the articulation and implementation of a strategy for subnational governments.

Joseph Tegbe was also involved in fiscal policy restructuring at all levels of Government. He has worked with organisations such as the Nigerian Communications Commission, Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Nigeria Revenue Service, Shell, Huawei, General Electric, MTN, and Odu’a Group, among others.

Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye from Igbagun, Kogi State, holds a First Class Degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and won the Dean’s Prize as the best student in his faculty. He also obtained a Master’s Degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos with Distinction.

He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in August 1982 and rose to the position of Director. He was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry in 2016, from which he retired on 4th August 2017 after 35 years in service.

As a career diplomat, Ambassador Enikanolaiye served in many of Nigeria’s diplomatic missions, notably Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Belgrade (Serbia), Ottawa (Canada) and London (UK). His last foreign service posting was as Nigeria’s Head of Mission in New Delhi (India).

He is a recipient of several merit awards, including the Presidential Civil Service Merit Award, the Presidential Distinguished Public Service Career Award, and a Distinguished Fellow of the National Defence College, among others.

Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye was, until his appointment, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu, on Foreign Affairs and International Relations in the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.

Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information & Strategy)
June 8, 2026.