President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday officially swore in Mr. Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe as Minister of Power and Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, filling key vacancies created by recent cabinet exits.
The brief ceremony, held at the Presidential Villa, was attended by the ministers’ spouses, senior government officials, and members of the administration.
The appointments followed the resignations of former Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar and former Power Minister Chief Adebayo Adelabu, who stepped down to pursue political ambitions. Both nominees were subsequently screened and confirmed by the Senate on May 6, 2026.
Tegbe, an accomplished economist, reform strategist, and stakeholder engagement expert, brings more than three decades of experience spanning the public and private sectors.
A native of Ibadan, Oyo State, he 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 the United Kingdom.
Before his appointment, Tegbe served as Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services at KPMG Africa, where he spearheaded major public sector reforms, fiscal restructuring initiatives, and strategic development programs across federal and subnational governments.
His professional portfolio includes engagements with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET), Shell, Huawei, General Electric, MTN, and the Odu’a Group.
Also sworn in was Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, a seasoned diplomat and former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A native of Igbagun in Kogi State, Enikanolaiye graduated with a First Class degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he emerged as the best graduating student in his faculty. He later earned a master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos with distinction.
Enikanolaiye joined Nigeria’s Foreign Service in 1982 and rose through the ranks to become Permanent Secretary in 2016, a position he held until his retirement in 2017 after 35 years of service.
Throughout his diplomatic career, he served in key Nigerian missions in Ethiopia, Serbia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and India, concluding his foreign postings as Nigeria’s Head of Mission in New Delhi.
A recipient of several national honors and merit awards, Enikanolaiye most recently served as Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Foreign Affairs and International Relations in the Office of the Chief of Staff.
