President Ahmed Tinubu appoints Senator John Owan Enoh as sports minister

President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed a new minister for sports development, John Owan Enoh.

The 57-year-old replaces Sunday Dare to become the 36th minister of sports in Nigeria.

Unlike his predecessor that combined the sports ministry with the ministry of youth, the new minister has been tasked with the sole responsibility of managing Sports Development while another minister has been appointed to the Youths ministry.

Enoh who is a politician, farmer and philanthropist hails from Cross River State and was a senator in the 8th Assembly of the Senate.

His foundation tagged JOE (John Owan Enoh) Foundation provides help for people living with diabetes in Nigeria.

Like his predecessor, Enoh is never a name associated with sports before his appointment and it’s surprising to sport loving Nigerians that he was named Sports Minister.

He was born on the 4th of June 1966, to the family of Chief Louis Owan Enoh and Helen Ayu Amba Enoh, in Agbokim Waterfalls Community, Etung Local Government Area of Cross River State.

John Owan Enoh had his early education at St. Gregory Primary School, Agbokim Waterfalls and St. Augustine Junior Seminary, Abakaliki, in the present Ebonyi State. His enrolment into the Junior Seminary was in anticipation of joining the Catholic priesthood.

He thereafter proceeded to the University of Calabar where he graduated with a degree in Sociology, he also later obtained a Master’s degree in Demography from the same university and was immediately employed as a lecturer.

In 1997, Enoh contested and won the election to represent Etung constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly, under the platform of Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM). However, upon the cancellation of the Sani Abacha Political Transition Programme in the aftermath of his demise, Enoh lost his seat.

In 1999, Enoh ran to regain his seat in the Cross River State House of Assembly under the All Peoples Party ( APP). He won and continued representing the Etung Constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly. During this time, he served as the Minority Leader and Chairman of, the Committee on Information.

In 2003, he contested for a seat on the Federal House of Representatives, to represent the Etung/Obubra Federal Constituency, under the banner of the People’s Democratic Party.

In 2015, he contested for the Senatorial seat, representing the Cross River Central Senatorial District, on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party.

He emerged the winner of the elections, to become the Senator for Cross River Central District. Enoh was a member of PDP until May 2017, when he defected to the All Progressives Congress. He thereafter contested for the governorship of Cross River State in the 2019 general elections but lost to Prof Benedict Ayade then of PDP.

He is happily married with kids to Rachel Owan-Enoh.