President Bola Tinubu has sent the names of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, three days after he sent the first batch of three names to the legislative body.
Among the nominees are the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu; a former presidential aide, Mr. Reno Omokri; and a former First Lady of Ekiti State, Erelu Angela Adebayo.
In two separate letters to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the President asked the Senate to consider and confirm expeditiously 15 nominees as career ambassadors and 17 nominees as non-career ambassadors.
The first set of three ambassadorial nominees are Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo State), Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa State), and Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (rtd.) (Ogun State). They are to be posted to the United Kingdom, United States of America, or France after their confirmation.
The new list has 10 women, four of whom are career ambassadors-designates, while the other six are non-career ambassadors-designates.
Among the non-career ambassador-designates are Barrister Ogbonnaya Kalu (Abia State); Omokri (Delta State); Mahmud Yakubu; Erelu Adebayo; and former Enugu State Governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
Others are a former Speaker of the Katsina House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Tasiu Musa Maigari; a former Commissioner in Plateau State, Yakubu N. Gambo, who was also Deputy Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission.
A Senator in the last session of the National Assembly, Prof Nora Ladi Daduut (Plateau State); a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Otunba Femi Pedro; a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode (Osun State); and Barrister Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu (Anambra State).
Also on the list are a former First Lady of Oyo State, Mrs. Fatima Florence Ajimobi; a former Lagos Commissioner, Lola Akande; a former Senator from Adamawa State, Grace Bent; a former Governor of Abia State, Chief Victor Okezie Ikpeazu; Senator representing Ondo South district, Dr. Jimoh Ibrahim; a former Ambassador to the Holy See, Paul Oga Adikwu (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).
According to a statement on Saturday by presidential spokesperson, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, upon their conformation, the ambassadors are expected to be posted to countries with which Nigeria maintains excellent and strategic bilateral relations. These include 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’, the statement read.
Onanuga said that President Tinubu would announce more ambassadorial nominees soon.
