President Bola Tinubu has appointed several new non-career and career ambassadors, days after submitting some names to the National Assembly for confirmation.
Among those freshly named for ambassadorial positions are former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, former presidential media aide, Reno Omokri, former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, former Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, former Ekiti First Lady, Erelu Angela Adebayo, former First Lady of Oyo, Fatima Florence Ajimobi, and former governor of Abia State, Victor Okezie Ikpeazu.
Naijaonpoint understands that a total of 32 new ambassadors were nominated by President Tinubu, and the names have been forwarded to the Senate for confirmation.
In two separate letters to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu asked the Senate to consider and confirm 15 nominees as career ambassadors and 17 nominees as non-career ambassadors.
The breakdown, according to a statement on Saturday by Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, includes 15 Career Ambassadors, 17 Non-Career Ambassadors and 10 women included across both.
According to Onanuga, “Among the non-career ambassador designates are Barrister Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia, a former presidential aide, Reno Omokri (Delta), former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmud Yakubu, former Ekiti first lady, Erelu Angela Adebayo, and former Enugu governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
“Others are Tasiu Musa Maigari, the former speaker of the Katsina House of Assembly, Yakubu N. Gambo, a former Commissioner in Plateau State and former deputy executive secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).
“Professor Nora Ladi Daduut, a former senator from Plateau; Otunba Femi Pedro, a former deputy governor of Lagos State; Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, a former aviation minister from Osun State; and Barrister Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu from Anambra State are on the nomination list.
“Also on the list are former First Lady of Oyo, Fatima Florence Ajimobi, former Lagos Commissioner, Lola Akande, former Adamawa Senator, Grace Bent, former governor of Abia, Victor Okezie Ikpeazu, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, businessman, lawyer and Senator from Ondo State, and the former ambassador of Nigeria to the Holy See, Ambassador Paul Oga Adikwu from Benue State.
“Among the nominees for career ambassador and high commissioner-designates are: 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).
The other nominees 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 (Kawara) and Ambassador Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).”
The nominees are expected to be posted to countries with which Nigeria maintains excellent and strategic bilateral relations, such as China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, Kenya, and 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.
More names for ambassadorial positions will be announced soon, according to the Presidency.
The fresh list comes days after the first batch of 3 nominees expected to be sent to the UK, US, and France was released by the presidency.
In a post on his X account on Wednesday, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the president nominated non-career ambassadors for three countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.
Naijaonpoint reports that ...ings will be finalised following Senate screening.
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