President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday named Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda as minister-designate for humanitarian affairs and poverty reduction.
The appointment of Yilwatda dashed the hope of Betta Edu, who was suspended from heading the ministry in January following an allegation of diversion of N585 million federal government grant meant for the vulnerable into private accounts.
Prior to her removal, Halima Shehu, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), an agency in the ministry, was also suspended by Tinubu over corruption allegations.
Edu’s predecessor, Sadiya Umar Farouk, is currently under investigation over mismanagement of public funds during her tenure.
Who is Nentawe Yilwatda?
Yilwatda, the new minister will oversee the affairs of the humanitarian ministry, which has been characterised by high-profile corruption cases in recent times.
Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda was born on August 8, 1968, in Dungung, Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State. He comes from a religious family, being the son of the late Rev. and Mrs. Toma Yilwatda.
Yilwatda has an extensive academic background, beginning with his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering from the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, which he earned in 1992.
He went on to obtain a Master of Engineering from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in Bauchi and later a PhD from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, specialising in Digital Systems Engineering.
His pursuit of knowledge didn’t end there; he also received training in Building Electronic Governance Structure from the United Nations University International Institute for Software Technology in Macau, China.
In addition to his academic achievements, Yilwatda has held prominent roles in major national and international projects.
He served as a project consultant on Nigeria’s first Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), which was implemented for key government agencies, including the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Federal Office of Statistics, and the Debt Management Office.
His expertise was further highlighted through his involvement in the World Bank-funded STEP-B project, where he helped implement the Nigeria Education and Research Network (NgREN), a unified network and ICT solution for educational institutions across the country.
In 2023, Yilwatda was the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State, but lost at the poll to Caleb Mutfwang of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
