President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the posting of 65 ambassadors-designate to Nigerian diplomatic missions across the world, including the United Nations.
The announcement was contained in a State House statement issued on March 6 by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, the postings include 31 non-career ambassadors and 34 career diplomats, whose nominations were earlier confirmed by the Nigerian Senate in December.
Among the key appointments, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim has been designated as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, while former presidential aide Reno Omokri will serve as Nigeria’s ambassador to Mexico.
Also on the list, the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, has been posted as Nigeria’s ambassador to Qatar.
Other notable non-career postings include former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode to Germany, former Interior Minister Abdulrahman Dambazau to China, and former Minister of Health Isaac Adewole to Canada.
In addition, former Lagos Deputy Governor Olufemi Pedro has been posted to Australia, while ex-Director General of the Department of State Services, Ayodele Oke, will serve in France.
The postings also include former senator Nora Ladi Daduut to South Korea, and former Lagos security chief Lateef Kayode Are to the United States.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already received agrément from the United Kingdom for the High Commissioner-designate, Ambassador Aminu Dalhatu, while France has also approved Ambassador Ayo Oke.
According to the presidency, nominations of the remaining envoys have been formally transmitted to host countries requesting diplomatic consent, known as agrément, in line with international diplomatic procedures.
President Tinubu has directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nigeria to immediately begin the induction programme for the ambassadors-designate and high commissioners before their deployment to their respective missions.
