The swearing-in comes in the wake of resignations by at least two cabinet members ahead of the All Progressives Congress primaries scheduled for May 2026.
According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the brief ceremony was held at the Council Chamber and attended by senior government officials as well as the spouses of the newly appointed ministers.
Both appointees were nominated by President Tinubu on May 5, 2026, following the departure of former Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu and former Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar, who stepped down to contest elective positions.
The Senate conducted their screening and gave confirmation approval the next day, May 6.
Their induction marks the second batch of ministers to join the Federal Executive Council after a directive issued in March 2026 by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, requiring ministers with political ambitions to resign before party primaries.
Earlier, Dr. Muttaqha Darma had been sworn in on April 30, 2026, as Minister of Housing and Urban Development, replacing Dr Ahmed Dangiwa in a wider cabinet shake-up that also saw the exit of former Finance Minister Mr Wale Edun, with Taiwo Oyedele stepping in.
Before his appointment, Ambassador Enikanolaiye served as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and International Relations.
His elevation fills the vacancy created when Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu was promoted to a full ministerial position after Tuggar’s resignation.
A seasoned diplomat from Igbagun in Kogi State, Enikanolaiye has spent about 35 years in Nigeria’s foreign service.
He earned a First Class degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he also received the Dean’s Prize as best graduating student in his faculty. He later obtained a Master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos, graduating with distinction.
He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in August 1982, rose steadily through the ranks to become a Director, and was appointed Permanent Secretary in 2016 before retiring on August 4, 2017.
Over the course of his career, he served in diplomatic missions in Addis Ababa, Belgrade, Ottawa, London, and New Delhi, with his final posting as Nigeria’s Head of Mission in India.
He has received several honours, including the Presidential Civil Service Merit Award, the Presidential Distinguished Public Service Career Award, and recognition as a Distinguished Fellow of the National Defence College.
Prior to this new appointment, he was also serving as Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Foreign Affairs and International Relations in the Office of the Chief of Staff.
Joseph Tegbe, born in Ibadan, Oyo State, also brings over 35 years of experience spanning both the public and private sectors into the cabinet.
He holds a First Class degree in Civil Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, alongside a Master of Business Administration from Switzerland and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Birmingham.
In his professional career, he worked as Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services at KPMG Africa, where he was involved in designing key presidential reforms and leading fiscal restructuring initiatives across federal and state levels.
He has also worked with several major institutions and companies including the Nigerian Communications Commission, Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, the Nigeria Revenue Service, Shell, Huawei, General Electric, and MTN.
He currently serves as Director-General and Global Liaison of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership.