Jonathan appoints Osita Chidoka Aviation Minister

Mr. Chidoka was head of the Federal Road Safety Corps

President Goodluck Jonathan has named Osita Chidoka, the former Corps Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, as new Aviation Minister.

Mr. Chidoka was sworn in Wednesday alongside Abubakar Olanrewaju, who was appointed National Planning Minister.

Mr. Olanrewaju, from Kwara State, replaces Shamsudeen Usman, who was removed last September.

Mr. Chidoka replaces Stella Oduah, fired in February amid allegations of mismanagement of public funds.

Until Mr. Olanrewaju’s appointment, the National Planning Commission was supervised by the Minister of State for Finance, Bashir Yuguda.

The two new Ministers were sworn in shortly before the commencement of the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, Wednesday.

An indigene of Anambra state, Mr. Chidoka clinched the ministerial post after a bitter political wrangling in his home state compelled President Jonathan to replace the immediate past Anambra governor, Peter Obi, who was earlier tipped for the ministerial post.

Powerful financiers of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had argued that as the leader of the opposition All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, which controls Anambra State, Mr. Obi would leave the state PDP disgruntled were he to also be a minister.