President Bola Tinubu on Thursday administered the oath of office to Dr Bernard Doro and Dr Kingsley Udeh as ministers, officially inducting them into the Federal Executive Council.

The ceremony took place at 1:52 p.m. inside the Council Chamber of the State House, Abuja, just minutes before the commencement of the FEC meeting, the first since July 2025.

Thursday’s swearing-in restores cabinet representation for Plateau and Enugu states, both of which had been without ministerial presence in the past few weeks.

Doro, a UK-trained clinical practitioner and seasoned pharmaceutical and public health administrator, was nominated by Tinubu on October 21 to replace Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, who vacated the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction after emerging as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress on July 31, 2025.

Doro, who hails from Kwall, Bassa LGA of Plateau State, has over two decades of combined experience in clinical medicine, pharmacy, and IT-driven health strategy.

According to the Presidency, he holds multiple degrees, including in Pharmacy, Law, and Advanced Clinical Practice, and has served extensively within the UK’s National Health Service.

Meanwhile, Udeh, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Enugu State until his nomination, replaces Uche Nnaji, the former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, who resigned on October 7, 2025, following controversies over his academic records at the University of Nigeria, Nsuka.

Udeh, recently conferred with the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria, was nominated by the President on November 4 and was confirmed by the Senate soon afterwards.

Their swearing-in brings Tinubu’s cabinet size to 48 ministers.

Following the brief ceremony, Tinubu presided over the FEC meeting, the first since July 31.

Before the meeting went into a closed session, the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, informed the council that Nigeria’s return to the international capital market had drawn strong investor confidence, with the 2.35-billion-dollar Eurobond oversubscribed by 453 per cent, attracting 13 billion dollars in orders.

“The next phase of reforms will remove barriers holding back investors. We will review tariffs and import restrictions to stimulate productivity and investment,” he stated.

Edun added that a detailed review of the Federation and federal balance sheets is underway to optimise Asset Management for inclusive growth.

“We are improving fiscal reporting and budget realism, tightening expenditure frameworks and ensuring reforms gains are made available to all Nigerians,” he said.

Tinubu welcomed the outcome, noting that despite political headwinds, Nigeria continues to engage global partners, strengthen its diplomatic ties, and rebuild confidence in its economy.

He said the task ahead remains to defeat terrorism and deliver a peaceful, inclusive, and prosperous Nigeria. (PUNCH)