President Tinubu Submits 32 Additional Ambassadorial Nominees To Senate

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded a fresh list of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for screening and confirmation, expanding the ongoing reconstitution of Nigeria’s foreign service corps. This comes just days after he transmitted an initial batch of three nominees.

In two separate letters  to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, the President sought the expeditious consideration of 15 career ambassadors and 17 non-career ambassadorial nominees.

According to the correspondence, the new list reflects a blend of seasoned diplomats, technocrats, politicians, and public administrators. It also shows an increased inclusion of women, with four women among the career nominees and six on the non-career list.

Highlights of the Non-Career Nominees

Prominent on the non-career list are notable political and public figures, including:

• Ogbonnaya Kalu, former presidential aide (Abia)
• Reno Omokri (Delta)
• Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, former INEC Chairman
• Erelu Angela Adebayo, former Ekiti First Lady
• Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, former Governor of Enugu State

Others include former Katsina House of Assembly Speaker Tasiu Musa Maigari; former Plateau commissioner Yakubu N. Gambo; former UBEC Deputy Executive Secretary Tasiu Ibrahim; former Senator Nora Ladi Daduut; former Lagos Deputy Governor Otunba Femi Pedro; former Aviation Minister Chief Femi Fani-Kayode; and Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu from Anambra.

Also listed are former Oyo First Lady Florence Ajimobi; ex-Lagos Commissioner Lola Akande; former Adamawa Senator Grace Bent; former Abia Governor Okezie Ikpeazu; and Ondo Senator and businessman Jimoh Ibrahim.
Former envoy to the Vatican, Ambassador Paul Oga Adikwu, also returns among the nominees.

Career Ambassadors and High Commissioner Designates

The 15 career diplomats nominated 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)
• Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim (Ogun)

Others are:
Abimbola Samuel Reuben (Ondo), Yvonne Ehinosen Odumah (Edo), Hamza Mohammed Salau (Niger), Amb. Shehu Barde (Katsina), Amb. Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno), Amb. Muhammad Saidu Dahiru (Kaduna), Amb. Olatunji Ahmed Sulu-Gambari (Kwara), and Amb. Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).

Posting and Foreign Policy Priorities

The nominees, once confirmed, are expected to be deployed to countries with which Nigeria maintains strong strategic and economic ties — including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the UAE, Qatar, South Africa, and Kenya — as well as to key multilateral missions such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union.

Earlier Nominations

Last week, President Tinubu submitted three names for ambassadorial postings:

• Amb. Ayodele Oke (Oyo)
• Amb. Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa)
• Col. Lateef Kayode Are (Rtd.) (Ogun)

The trio are being considered for high-profile missions in the United States, United Kingdom, or France.

President Tinubu indicated that additional nominees will be forwarded to the Senate in due course as his administration completes the overhaul of Nigeria’s diplomatic representation abroad.