President Bola Tinubu has submitted a fresh list of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, featuring several prominent political figures, including former Enugu State governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Mahmood Yakubu, former minister Femi Fani-Kayode, and former presidential aide Reno Omokri.
Also nominated are ex-Abia State governor Okezie Ikpeazu and former Lagos State deputy governor Femi Pedro. The list further includes Ondo lawmaker and businessman Jimoh Ibrahim, former Ekiti First Lady Erelu Angela Adebayo, and former Adamawa legislator Grace Bent, all of whom have been selected to represent Nigeria in various diplomatic capacities.
According to the presidency, the nomination documents have been forwarded to the upper legislative chamber for screening and approval. Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga confirmed the submission, stating:
“In two separate letters to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu asked the Senate to consider and confirm expeditiously 15 nominees as career ambassadors and 17 nominees as non-career ambassadors.”
A detailed review of the list reveals that the career ambassador category includes four women, while six women feature in the non-career ambassadorial cadre, underscoring gender representation within Nigeria’s new diplomatic structure.
Other non-career nominees comprise Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia; former Katsina State House of Assembly Speaker Tasiu Musa Maigari; former Plateau State Commissioner and ex-deputy executive secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Yakubu N. Gambo; former Plateau senator Nora Ladi Daduut; Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu from Anambra; former Oyo First Lady Fatima Florence Ajimobi; former Lagos commissioner Lola Akande, and erstwhile Nigerian envoy to the Holy See, Paul Oga Adikwu, from Benue.
For the career ambassador and high commissioner-designate positions, the president selected 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).
Additional nominees in this cadre include 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 (Kwara), and Ambassador Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).
Explaining the purpose of the appointments, Onanuga said:
“The new 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.”
He added that the specific postings of the nominees would be determined after the Senate concludes its confirmation process.
This list follows closely behind a previous submission made earlier in the week, which contained three nominees: Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo), Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa), and Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun). According to the presidency,
“All three are in the pot for posting to the UK, USA, or France after their confirmation.”
The wave of nominations forms part of the Tinubu administration’s ongoing effort to strengthen Nigeria’s foreign diplomacy, international relations, and global representation.
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