Tinubu Swears In Ayo Omidiran As FCC Chairperson, 37 Commissioners

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday administered the oath of office to Ayo Omidiran as the new chairperson of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), along with 37 commissioners drawn from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The ceremony was held at the State House in Abuja and took place around 4:48 p.m.

Ayo Omidiran, who is 59 years old and hails from Osun State, previously served as a member of the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2019.

Beyond politics, she is also known in sports administration, serving on committees of both the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and FIFA, and is the founder of Omidiran Babes Football Club.

She takes over from Muheeba Dankaka, who was the immediate past chairperson of the commission.

Omidiran was appointed on August 11, 2025, and her appointment was confirmed by the Senate on November 27.

Several commissioners were sworn in alongside her, including Peter Eze from Enugu, AbdulWasiu Bawalla from Lagos, Obinna Oriaku from Abia, Lawal Roni from Jigawa, Abubakar Bunu from Kebbi, Eludayo Eluyemi from Osun, Bema Madayi from Adamawa, Dora Ebong from Akwa Ibom, Nnoli Gloria from Anambra, and Babangida Gwana from Bauchi.

Others include Tonye Okio (Bayelsa), Aligba Tarkende (Benue), Modu Mustapha (Borno), Stella Ekpo (Cross River), Ederin Idisi (Delta), Nwokpor Vincent Nduka (Ebonyi), Victor Sabor Edoror (Edo), Sola Fokanle (Ekiti), Ibrahim Baba Mairiga (Gombe), Jerry Alagbaoso (Imo), Ruth Ango (Kaduna), Muhammad Awwal Nayya (Kano), Anas Isah (Katsina), Bello Idris Eneye (Kogi), Ibrahim Abdullahi (Kwara), Kayode Oladele (Ogun), Isah Jibrin (Niger), Ajimudu Bola (Ondo), Ayodeji Abas Aleshinloye (Oyo), Pam Bolman (Plateau), Aaron Chukwuemeka (Rivers), Aminu Tambar (Sokoto), Bobboi Kaigama (Taraba), Jibir Maigari (Yobe), Sani Garba (Zamfara), and Solomon Dagami (FCT).

The Federal Character Commission was created under Act No. 34 of 1996 and is supported by Sections 14 and 153 of the 1999 Constitution.

Its role is to promote fairness in the sharing of public offices, infrastructure, and opportunities across the country.

The commission also has the authority to prosecute cases where the federal character principle is violated.

Those present at the ceremony included the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake; the Permanent Secretary of the State House, Temitope Fashedemi; and the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Affairs Office, John Ezeamama.

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