Bad to worse?
Tinubu shuffled his ministers, and it’s got people talking
Good morning, Big Brains. It’s salary day and Friday. Can you sense my excitement? (It’s nonexistent because I’m a young adult but pretend you can). Have the best day!
- Margaret
Word count: ~1000
Reading time ~ 3 mins
Let’s get into today’s edition:
Nigerians are not sure how to feel about the new Minister of Women's Affairs
Binance executive is finally free from Nigerian principalities and powers
Idris Elba wants to move to Africa
The Big Deal
Nigerians are not sure how to feel about the new Minister of Women's Affairs
President Tinubu flew back into the country and asked, “What would be the perfect way to tell these people I’m back?” He slept on it and got the answer—fire five ministers!
Even though the President made this decision on October 23, Nigerians are still talking about it (as they should) because these five ministers have been replaced with new ministers. Of all the new ministerial roles filled, Nigerians have been talking more about the role of the Minister of Women’s Affairs.
Before her dismissal, Uju Kennedy was in charge of everything women’s affairs, but it seems like she didn’t impress President Tinubu enough. On Thursday, October 24, Uju broke her silence for the first time since the news of her dismissal hit the streets. Like a true leader, she made it obvious through the letter of appreciation she posted on her X account that she had taken her L and made peace with it. She ended her letter with a shout-out to the president and his wife, something most people wouldn’t do if they got sacked.
The president, on the other hand, didn’t waste any time replacing her with Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim. Imaan currently serves as the Minister of State for Police Affairs but will take over as the Minister of Women's Affairs and Social Development once the handover is complete. We’ll assume that the point of firing and replacing ministers is to give Nigerians ministers who are more perfect for the job. But some Nigerians are unsure that that’s what is happening in this case.
Why is this a big deal?
For a country that’s still far from achieving gender equality, Nigeria has been unlucky with finding the right women to fill this position. Pauline Tallen, the Minister of Women’s Affairs under the Buhari-led administration was detained in 2023 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for allegedly misappropriating ₦2 billion that was supposed to be used for a project that was supposed to benefit women.
The recently dismissed minister, Uju Kennedy, was also caught up in controversies that made people question whether she was for or against women. One of her most controversial moments was in September 2023, when an audio recording of her surfaced online. She was heard threatening to send a female student from the University of Calabar (UNICAL) to jail. This student had spoken out about being harassed by UNICAL’s suspended law dean, Prof. Cyril Ndifon. In the recording, Uju warned the student to “be very careful” and to stay away from the court case, saying, “Nobody raped you.” She even added that her ministry would help ensure the student goes to jail to set an example. After a lot of backlash from over 500 women’s rights activists, Uju later apologised.
Her replacement, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has also had her fair share of controversies. She was one of the political figures who advised Nigerian youths against joining the #EndBadGovernanceProtest. It is too soon to tell, but some Nigerians believe that we’ve gone from frying pan to fire.
For the sake of the 27,698 women in Nigeria who have experienced sexual and gender-based between 2020 -2023, we hope this isn’t true.
Binance executive is finally free from Nigerian principalities and powers
Excuse our Spanish, but your village people are learning from Tigran Gambaryan’s village people. Gambaryan has been fighting for his freedom from the bars of Kuje prison since February, after being accused of laundering over $35 million with his company, Binance. Even though Gambaryan and Binance denied these charges, the guy has been imprisoned since then.
Gambaryan was initially arrested alongside his colleague at Binance, Nadeem Anjarwalla, on February 26. But that one pulled a “Prison Break” and escaped in March. Anjarwalla’s last known location is Kenya, Gambaryan has been the one facing the heat since then, but he has gotten a Christmas miracle now.
On Wednesday, October 23, a Nigerian court gave the crypto bro permission to walk free after the government dropped its money laundering charges against him. It was more of an empathy-inspired move because Gambaryan has been struggling with his health for a minute now.
In August, his wife, Yuki Gambaryan said her husband's health had gotten so bad in prison that it could cause permanent damage and affect his ability to walk. She asked for his release and promised to fight for him. Her persistence inspired the decision to free the guy to seek medical care abroad. Real lovers are so up!
Idris Elba wants to move to Africa
Idris Elba gagged many Nigerians from miles away when he was announced as the male lead in the movie adaptation of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Prepare to be even more gagged because the British actor has plans to be more active in Africa’s movie industry.
What you probably don’t know is that Idris has Ghanaian and Sierra Leonian roots. It’s the African part of him that has inspired his decision to pack his bags and move to Africa within the next decade to help boost the continent’s movie industry. Idris believes that Africa has stories to tell and the world needs to listen. Like the standup guy that he is, he’s walking the talk by using his celebrity power to support Africa’s growing film industry.
"I’m definitely moving here. It’s not even up for debate," Elba shared during an interview in Accra. "In the next five to 10 years, God willing, I’ll be on the continent. I can’t help from overseas—I need to be here."
And in true Pan-African style, he’s not picking one spot to call home. "I’ll live in Accra, Freetown, Zanzibar… wherever they tell stories, I’ll be there."
One of the top things on his bucket list is creating a movie in his future Accra studio. He’s all about Africans being front and centre in film-making—from acting and directing to financing and distribution.
So don’t be surprised if you see Sola Sobowale starring in an Idris Elba movie soon.
The Big Picks
Tinubu Writes Senate, Seeks Confirmation Of Ministerial Nominees: President Bola Tinubu has sent a request to the Senate, seeking confirmation for the appointments of seven newly announced ministerial nominees.
Tinubu’s Cabinet Shake-Up Not Really About Superior Minds – Shittu: Former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, has expressed that he's not impressed with President Bola Tinubu's recent cabinet shake-up.
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