President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded a fresh list of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, expanding on an earlier batch of three names submitted last week.
In two separate letters addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu urged lawmakers to expedite the screening and confirmation of 15 career diplomats and 17 non-career nominees.
The new list includes 10 women: four career and six non-career nominees.
Among the notable non-career nominees are former presidential aide Reno Omokri (Delta), former INEC chairman Mahmud Yakubu, former Ekiti First Lady Erelu Angela Adebayo, and former Enugu State governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
Others include former Lagos deputy governor Otunba Femi Pedro, former aviation minister Femi Fani-Kayode, ex-Abia governor Okezie Ikpeazu, and Fatima Florence Ajimobi, the wife of a former Oyo State governor.
Also listed are former Katsina House of Assembly speaker Tasiu Musa Maigari; former Plateau commissioner Yakubu N. Gambo; former UBEC deputy executive secretary Yakubu N. Gambo; former senator Nora Ladi Daduut; former Lagos commissioner Lola Akande; former Adamawa senator Grace Bent; Ondo senator and businessman 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)
- Shehu Barde (Katsina)
- Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno)
- Muhammad Saidu Dahiru (Kaduna)
- Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari (Kwara)
- Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun)
The nominees, once confirmed, are expected to be posted to countries where Nigeria maintains key strategic partnerships, including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the UAE, Qatar, South Africa, and Kenya.
Others will be assigned to multilateral missions such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union.
Last week, Tinubu submitted three earlier nominees—Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo), Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa), and Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun)—who are being considered for postings to the UK, US, and France.
According to the presidency, more ambassadorial appointments will be announced in the coming days.
