President Bola Tinubu has forwarded a fresh list of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, expanding Nigeria’s diplomatic slate with a mix of former public officeholders, and career diplomats. The transmission comes just days after the president sent an initial batch of three nominees.
In two letters read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu urged the upper chamber to screen and confirm the nominees without delay, comprising 17 non-career and 15 career ambassadors.
Prominent among the non-career nominees is Florence Ajimobi, widow of the late former Oyo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi. Also on the list are Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, businessman and lawmaker from Ondo State; former presidential aide Reno Omokri; immediate past INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu; former Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; former Ekiti First Lady, Erelu Angela Adebayo; former Abia governor, Okezie Ikpeazu; former aviation minister Femi Fani-Kayode; and former Lagos deputy governor, Femi Pedro.
The list also includes former Plateau senator, Nora Ladi Daduut, former Adamawa senator Grace Bent, former Lagos commissioner Lola Akande, former Nigerian envoy to the Vatican Paul Oga Adikwu, and other notable political figures and technocrats from across the country.
The 15 career nominees include Enebechi Monica Okwuchukwu, Yakubu Nyaku Danladi, Miamuna Ibrahim Besto, Musa Musa Abubakar, Syndoph Paebi Endoni, Chima Geoffrey Lioma David, Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim, Abimbola Samuel Reuben, Yvonne Ehinosen Odumah, Hamza Mohammed Salau, Shehu Barde, Ahmed Mohammed Monguno, Muhammad Saidu Dahiru, Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari, and Wahab Adekola Akande.
The nominees, once confirmed, are expected to be deployed to countries considered critical to Nigeria’s diplomatic and economic interests, including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, and Kenya. Others will head to major multilateral missions such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union.
Last week, President Tinubu had submitted the first set of three ambassadorial nominees: Ambassador Ayodele Oke, Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu, and retired Colonel Kayode Are. They are being considered for postings to the United Kingdom, the United States, or France.
The presidency has indicated that additional ambassadorial nominations will follow as part of the administration’s ongoing restructuring of Nigeria’s foreign service.
