President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded a fresh batch of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for screening and confirmation, bringing the total number of nominees sent within the past week to 35.
In two separate letters addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the President requested the swift confirmation of 15 career diplomats and 17 non-career candidates. The new list includes four women among the career nominees and six women among the non-career nominees.
Prominent figures on the non-career list include former presidential aide Barrister Ogbonnaya Kalu (Abia); former INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu; former Ekiti First Lady, Erelu Angela Adebayo; former Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; former Lagos Deputy Governor, Otunba Femi Pedro; and former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode.
Also nominated are Tasiu Musa Maigari, former Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly; Yakubu N. Gambo, ex-Plateau Commissioner and former Deputy Executive Secretary of UBEC; Prof. Nora Ladi Daduut, former Plateau Senator; Barrister Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu (Anambra); former Oyo First Lady, Fatima Florence Ajimobi; former Lagos Commissioner, Lola Akande; former Adamawa Senator, Grace Bent; former Abia Governor, Victor Okezie Ikpeazu; Senator Jimoh Ibrahim; and former Ambassador to the Holy See, Paul Oga Adikwu.
The career ambassador and high commissioner nominees are Enebechi Monica Okwuchukwu (Abia); Yakubu Nyaku Danladi (Taraba); Miamuna Ibrahim Besto (Adamawa); Musa Musa Abubakar (Kebbi); Syndoph Paebi Endoni (Bayelsa); Chima Geoffrey Lioma David (Ebonyi); Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim (Ogun); Abimbola Samuel Reuben (Ondo); Yvonne Ehinosen Odumah (Edo); Hamza Mohammed Salau (Niger); Ambassador Shehu Barde (Katsina); Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno); Ambassador Muhammad Saidu Dahiru (Kaduna); Ambassador Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari (Kwara); and Ambassador Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).
The diplomats are expected to be deployed to countries with which Nigeria maintains strong bilateral relations, including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the UAE, Qatar, South Africa, and Kenya, as well as to multilateral missions such as the UN, UNESCO, and the African Union. Final postings will be communicated after Senate confirmation.
Last week, President Tinubu had submitted the first batch of three ambassadorial nominees, who are expected to be posted to the United States, the United Kingdom, or France. The nominees are:
- Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo): Former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and former Nigerian Ambassador to the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.
- Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun): Former Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), former National Security Adviser, and a First-Class graduate of Psychology from the University of Ibadan.
- Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa): Former Nigerian Ambassador to South Korea, first appointed in 2016 under the Buhari administration.
The Senate is expected to begin screening of all 35 nominees in the coming days, while the Presidency has signalled that more ambassadorial nominations will be announced soon.
