President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded a new list of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, expanding the roster of potential envoys expected to represent Nigeria in key countries and global institutions.
The development was announced on Saturday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. The latest submission comes just days after the President sent an earlier batch of three names to the upper chamber.
In two separate letters addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu requested the swift confirmation of 15 career ambassadorial nominees and 17 non-career nominees. The list includes four women among the career nominees and six among the non-career candidates.
The non-career nominees feature several prominent figures, including former presidential aide Reno Omokri; ex-INEC chairman Mahmud Yakubu; former Ekiti First Lady Erelu Angela Adebayo; former Enugu State governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; and former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode. Others include former Katsina Assembly Speaker Tasiu Musa Maigari, former UBEC deputy executive secretary Yakubu N. Gambo, former Plateau senator Nora Ladi Daduut, former Lagos deputy governor Otunba Femi Pedro, and former Oyo First Lady Fatima Florence Ajimobi.
Also listed are former Lagos Commissioner Lola Akande, former Adamawa Senator Grace Bent, former Abia governor Victor Okezie Ikpeazu, Ondo Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, and former ambassador to the Holy See, Paul Oga Adikwu.
The career 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), Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim (Ogun), Abimbola Samuel Reuben (Ondo), Yvonne Ehinosen Odumah (Edo), Hamza Mohammed Salau (Niger), and several serving ambassadors such as Shehu Barde, Ahmed Mohammed Monguno, Muhammad Saidu Dahiru, Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari, and Wahab Adekola Akande.
According to the Presidency, the nominees will be deployed to countries with strong diplomatic ties to Nigeria, including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the UAE, Qatar, South Africa, Kenya, and to key multilateral missions such as the UN, UNESCO, and the African Union. Their specific postings will be announced after Senate confirmation.
Last week, Tinubu submitted the names of Ambassador Ayodele Oke, Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu, and retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are for screening, with the trio expected to be posted to the UK, USA, or France.
The President noted that additional ambassadorial nominations will be transmitted in due course.
