Tinubu Swears In Tegbe, Enikanolaiye as New Ministers
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday inaugurated Mr Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe as Minister of Power and Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, filling vacancies created by the recent exit of two cabinet members.
The swearing-in ceremony was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, and was attended by the ministers’ spouses and senior government officials.
Tegbe and Enikanolaiye were nominated by President Tinubu following the resignations of former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, who stepped down to pursue political ambitions. The Senate confirmed both appointments on May 6, 2026.
The new Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, is a fiscal, economic and institutional reform strategist with more than 35 years of experience spanning the public and private sectors.
A native of Ibadan, Oyo State, Tegbe holds a First Class degree in Civil Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, as well as master’s degrees in Business Administration and Public Administration from institutions in Switzerland and Birmingham, respectively.
Before his appointment, he served as Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services at KPMG Africa, where he led major reform and transformation initiatives. His professional engagements have included work with 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 in Kogi State, brings decades of diplomatic and public service experience to his new role.
He graduated with a First Class degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he received the Dean’s Prize as the best student in his faculty. He also earned a Master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy with distinction from the University of Lagos.
Enikanolaiye joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1982 and rose through the ranks to become Permanent Secretary in 2016, retiring from the civil service in August 2017 after 35 years of service.
During his diplomatic career, he served in Nigeria’s missions in Addis Ababa, Belgrade, Ottawa and London, and was later appointed Nigeria’s Head of Mission in New Delhi, 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 his appointment as minister, Enikanolaiye served as Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Foreign Affairs and International Relations in the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President.
