President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded a fresh list of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, asking the legislature to consider the names expeditiously and complete the screening and confirmation process. The nominees were transmitted in two separate letters to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and comprise 17 non-career ambassadorial designates and 15 career ambassadors and high commissioner nominees. The announcement, signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, makes clear that the new cohort will be posted to countries and multilateral missions that the presidency described as strategically important for Nigeria.
The non-career list includes several prominent public figures and former officeholders. The names transmitted to the Senate are Barrister Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia, Reno Omokri from Delta, Professor Mahmud Yakubu from Bauchi, Erelu Bisi Angela Adebayo from Ekiti, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi from Enugu, Tasiu Musa Maigari from Katsina, Yakubu N. Gambo from Plateau, Professor Nora Ladi Daduut from Plateau, Otunba Femi Pedro from Lagos, Chief Femi Fani Kayode from Osun, Barrister Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu from Anambra, Fatima Florence Ajimobi from Oyo, Lola Akande from Lagos, Grace Bent from Adamawa, Dr Victor Okezie Ikpeazu from Abia, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim from Ondo, and Ambassador Paul Oga Adikwu from Benue. The presidency said that six women feature among the non-career nominees.
The career and high commissioner nominees number 15 and are drawn primarily from the foreign service and the corps of career diplomats. The names presented are Enebechi Monica Okwuchukwu from Abia, Yakubu Nyaku Danladi from Taraba, Miamuna Ibrahim Besto from Adamawa, Musa Musa Abubakar from Kebbi, Syndoph Paebi Endoni from Bayelsa, Chima Geoffrey Lioma David from Ebonyi, Mopelola Adeola Ibrahim from Ogun, Abimbola Samuel Reuben from Ondo, Yvonne Ehinosen Odumah from Edo, Hamza Mohammed Salau from Niger, Ambassador Shehu Barde from Katsina, Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Monguno from Borno, Ambassador Muhammad Saidu Dahiru from Kaduna, Ambassador Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari from Kwara, and Ambassador Wahab Adekola Akande from Osun. The State House statement indicated that four women are on the career list, bringing the total number of women across both lists to ten.
The presidency said that the new nominees will be posted to countries where Nigeria maintains important bilateral relations, including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, and Kenya, as well as to permanent missions such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union. The exact postings for each nominee will be made public after the Senate completes confirmation and the assignments are finalised.
The submission of 32 additional names follows a first small batch of three nominees sent to the Senate last week. Those earlier nominees were Ambassador Ayodele Oke from Oyo, Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu from Jigawa, and Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are from Ogun, and they were described by the presidency as being in contention for postings to some of the country’s largest partner missions, such as the United Kingdom, the United States, or France. The latest transmission, therefore, increases the number of nominees the presidency has put before the Senate in recent days and forms part of an incremental process to rebuild Nigeria’s diplomatic corps.
Contextually, this batch comes after a prolonged absence of confirmed ambassadors at many Nigerian missions abroad following a mass recall in September 2023. The lapse left several missions without heads of mission for an extended period. Reporting earlier this year noted that Nigeria had been operating without ambassadors at its more than 100 missions for many months, and that the absence had been attributed to budgetary constraints and the government’s prioritisation of domestic economic matters. Government sources told international news agencies that the issue was being addressed and that fresh appointments would follow once funds and vetting processes were concluded. The presidency’s move to transmit multiple batches of nominees this month appears to be the operationalisation of that commitment. The statement also requested that the Senate expedite consideration of the nominees to ensure that postings and the restoration of full diplomatic representation proceed without undue delay.
The list contains some names that will draw public attention for different reasons. Professor Mahmud Yakubu served as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, and his nomination to a diplomatic post will raise questions about the nature of the posting, given his profile in electoral administration. Reno Omokri, a former presidential aide and public commentator, will be another high-profile non-career designate. Chief Femi Fani Kayode, a former minister and a prominent public figure, also features on the list. The inclusion of former governors and senior political office holders reflects a pattern in recent diplomatic nominations where non-career appointments are made from a cross-section of political office holders, former public servants, and individuals with partisan profiles.
Once the Senate completes its work, the presidency will be able to make formal postings and Nigeria’s diplomatic representation abroad will be strengthened in both bilateral missions and multilateral organisations. The presidency also indicated that more nominees for ambassadorial positions will be announced in due course, suggesting that this exercise is part of a phased restoration of full diplomatic staffing after a prolonged period during which many missions operated without resident ambassadors.
Samuel Aina