President Bola Tinubu appoints a new Minister of Education as he recently reorganized his cabinet, dismissing certain ministers, reassigning others to new roles, and merging some ministries to enhance efficiency.
At the Ministry of Education, President Tinubu removed Professor Tahir Mamman from his position. He also reassigned the Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Sununu, to the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
Tunji Alaussa has been appointed as the new Minister of Education, with Suwaiba Ahmad named as the Minister of State for Education.
Meet The New Ministers
The new Minister of Education, Mr. Alausa, is a highly accomplished medical doctor. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Lagos in 1993 and practiced as a nephrologist in the United States for many years. During his time in the U.S., he served as Chief Medical Resident at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, and was an Assistant Professor at Rush University Medical School.
Mr. Alausa was recognized as one of America’s Best Physicians in 2007, 2012, and 2020. Before being appointed as the Minister of Education, he served as the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare.
A native of Epe, Lagos State, Mr. Alausa is also President Tinubu’s personal physician and has played a background role in education sector decisions since his appointment as Minister of State for Health. Upon the announcement of his new position, several education sector stakeholders, speaking anonymously, praised the President’s choice, calling Mr. Alausa an ideal successor to Mr. Mamman.
Suwaiba Ahmad
President Tinubu has also appointed Suwaiba Ahmad as the Minister of State for Education.
An associate professor of education, Ms. Ahmad brings extensive experience to the role. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Education and Chemistry from Bayero University, Kano (BUK), in 2003, followed by a Master’s in Curriculum Studies from the same institution in 2009. She earned her Ph.D. in Science Education from Ahmadu Bello University in 2014.
Ms. Ahmad has been a faculty member at Bayero University Kano since 2004 and is affiliated with the Policy Practice, an organization focused on political economy analysis in areas like governance, conflict resolution, economic, and social development. In 2020, she took on the role of Director of the Centre for Gender Studies at BUK.
She served as a consultant for Jigawa State’s situation report and part of Kano State’s report under the Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE), a U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO)-funded initiative. Additionally, she consulted for Jigawa State in the Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL) flagship, another FCDO-sponsored program supporting governance reform and improved service delivery in Nigeria.
