President Tinubu has transmitted the names of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation
President Bola Tinubu has sent the names of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, days after he sent the first batch of three nominees.
This was contained in a statement signed by Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, on Saturday evening.
According to the two separate letters addressed to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu requested the Senate to consider and confirm 15 nominees as career ambassadors and 17 nominees as non-career ambassadors expeditiously.
The list contains ten women, with four women on the career ambassadors’ list and six women on the non-career ambassadors’ list.
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 State 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 State Commissioner, Lola Akande, former Adamawa Senator, Grace Bent, former governor of Abia State, Victor Okezie Ikpeazu, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, businessman, lawyer and Senator representing Ondo South, 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 new nominees are likely to be deployed to countries with which Nigeria enjoys strong and strategic bilateral ties, including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, and Kenya, as well as to key Permanent Missions like the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union. Their specific diplomatic postings will be determined after Senate confirmation.
President Tinubu, last week, forwarded the names of three ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for screening and confirmation. The nominees are Ambassador Ayodele Oke from Oyo, Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu from Jigawa, and retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are from Ogun. Upon confirmation, the trio will be considered for diplomatic postings to either the United Kingdom, the United States, or France.
President Tinubu said “more nominees for ambassadorial positions” will be announced soon.
