President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu as Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, following the resignation of Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar to pursue his political ambition ahead of 2027 elections in Bauchi State.
Until her elevation as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb.Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu was the Minister of State, Foreign Affairs.
The new Minister of Foreign Affairs was Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain during President Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure and distinguished herself as a right fit for the assignment.
The cerebral, former Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, and a lawyer by training, has very good experience to serve in that capacity -as a former Nigeria Ambassador, plus her profile as a well travelled personality.
When she came on board in 2024 after her screening by the Senate she told journalists: “The President has actually made things much easier by building the foreign policy thrust of his administration. The 4Ds comprise of democracy, development, demographic engagement, and diaspora collaboration.”
She said, “We must leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area to harness our economic potentials,” adding “we have a huge youth population in Nigeria. 70 percent of the population is under the age of 43, so that’s a huge demographic.”
According to her “We intend in this administration to leverage on the creative potentials, on the skills on the huge capital that these young people have to bring to the country, and of course the diaspora.“
One of the issues she promised to tackle then was ensuring that consular services abroad are much more effective, and Nigerians abroad are much happier with what they are receiving, and have that sense of feeling that their government truly cares for their welfare.
Meanwhile, the President has nominated Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye as the new Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, subject to Senate confirmation.
Until his nomination, Ambassador Enikanolaiye, from Kogi State, served as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and International Relations.
Enikanolaiye is a distinguished diplomat and seasoned public servant with over three decades of exemplary service in Nigeria’s foreign service, and had previously served as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and held key diplomatic postings in Addis Ababa, Belgrade, Ottawa, London, and New Delhi.
The President noted that these appointments are part of ongoing efforts to reposition Nigeria’s foreign policy architecture for greater efficiency, strategic engagement, and stronger global partnerships.
President Tinubu congratulates the appointees and urged them to work diligently to promote Nigeria’s national interest, advance economic diplomacy, foster regional stability, and safeguard the welfare of Nigerians at home and abroad.
