President Bola Tinubu has dismissed five ministers and reassigned ten others in a significant cabinet reshuffle announced during Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, responding to mounting public pressure over economic challenges and rising insecurity.

The dismissed ministers include Uju-Ken Ohanenye (Women Affairs), Lola Ade-John (Tourism), Tahir Mamman (Education), Abdullahi Gwarzo (State, Housing), and Jamila Ibrahim (Youth Development).

Seven new ministerial nominees, including Bianca Odumegu-Ojukwu for State Foreign Affairs and Nentawe Yilwatda for Humanitarian Affairs, have been forwarded to the Senate for confirmation. This move officially ends the tenure of suspended minister Betta Edu.

In a structural overhaul, Tinubu scrapped the Ministry of Niger Delta Development, replacing it with a new Ministry of Regional Development to oversee all regional development commissions. The Ministry of Sports Development was also eliminated, with its functions transferred to the National Sports Commission.

Notable appointments include former Sports Minister Sunday Dare as Special Adviser on Public Communication and Orientation, and Shehu Dikko as Chairman of the National Sports Commission.

Among the reassignments, Dr. Doris Azoka-Anite moves from Industry to State Finance, while Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim takes over as Minister of Women Affairs. The President also approved the merger of the Tourism and Arts and Culture ministries into the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy.

The reshuffling comes after Tinubu’s initial appointment of 48 ministers in August 2023, following widespread calls for cabinet changes amid unprecedented inflation and economic challenges.