President Bola Tinubu has made another list, this time of 32 ambassadorial nominees, and has just transmitted same to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
The list expands Nigeria’s diplomatic corps with a mix of career diplomats and mere politicians, most of who played significant roles in getting Tinubu elected in 2023.
The nominees include prominent political figures, former governors, ex‑ministers, and technocrats, alongside seasoned career diplomats.
The latest submission comes just days after the President sent an initial batch of three names to the upper chamber. In two separate letters addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio,
Tinubu urged lawmakers to consider and confirm the nominees expeditiously. According to the letters, 15 of the nominees are career ambassadors, while 17 are non‑career ambassadors.
Among the non‑career nominees are several high‑profile personalities: former presidential aide Reno Omokri (Delta), immediate past chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Mahmud Yakubu, former aviation minister Chief Femi Fani‑Kayode (Osun), and two allies of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike—former Enugu governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and former Abia governor Okezie Ikpeazu.
Others include former Ekiti First Lady Erelu Angela Adebayo, former Lagos deputy governor Otunba Femi Pedro, former Plateau senator Professor Nora Ladi Daduut, and former Oyo First Lady Fatima Florence Ajimobi.
Career Diplomats and Strategic Postings
On the career side, nominees include 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), and Mopelola Adeola‑Ibrahim (Ogun).
Others are 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).
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga explained that the nominees are expected to be posted to countries with which Nigeria maintains “excellent and strategic bilateral relations,” including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, and Kenya.
Others will be assigned to permanent missions such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union.
“All the nominees will know their diplomatic assignments after their confirmation by the Senate,” Onanuga said.
Last week, Tinubu submitted three names for ambassadorial positions: Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo), Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa), and retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun).
Those nominees are being considered for postings to the United Kingdom, the United States, or France.
The President has indicated that more names will be announced soon, signaling a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria’s diplomatic representation abroad.
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