A British – Nigerian politician, Olukemi Badenoch, was appointed as the junior minister for children and families by Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
It may be known to many that she was appointed following her election as a Member of Parliament (MP).
But here are a few unknown facts about the new junior minister:
1. Olukemi lost an election for a seat in the London Assembly but was later selected after two other members gave up their seats in 2012.
2. A jack of all trades, Olukemi worked as a systems analyst before pursuing a career in consultancy and financial services, working as an associate director of private bank and wealth manager Coutts and later a director at the conservative magazine The Spectator.
She was also previously a school governor at St Thomas the Apostle College in Southwark and the Jubilee Primary School.
3. At an early age of 25, she joined the Conservative Party and contested against Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates.
4. Olukemi was listed at Number 96 on Conservative political commentator Iain Dale’s “100 most influential on the Right 2017”.
5. She confessed to hacking into the website of a Labour MP in 2008 and was reported to Action Fraud, the UK’s cyber crime reporting centre.
Badenoch acknowledged the appointment on her verified Twitter handle on Monday, where she said, “I’m humbled to have been appointed a junior minister at the DfE.
A huge privilege to be able to serve and make a positive difference on a number of issues close to my heart. I look forward to working with the ministerial team and everyone at @educationgovuk.”