President Bola Tinubu has formally requested the Senate to confirm the appointment of three non-career ambassadors, nearly two years after he recalled all Nigerian envoys in September 2023.
The president made the request in a letter to the Senate, which was read on Wednesday, November 26, by Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Tinubu stated that the nominations were made in accordance with sections 171(1), (2)(c), and (4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
In the letter, Tinubu urged lawmakers to “consider and confirm the appointments expeditiously.” The request has been referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, which has been tasked with reporting back within one week.
The nominees are Kayode Are from Ogun State, Aminu Dalhatu from Jigawa State, and Ayodele Oke from Oyo State.
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Tinubu, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, said: “President Tinubu has nominated non-career ambassadors for three countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.
“The postings will be finalised following Senate screening. The three nominees are Ambassador Ayodele Oke, Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are, and Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu.
“Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu previously served as Nigeria’s ambassador to South Korea during President Buhari’s administration, having been first appointed in 2016.
“Ambassador Ayodele Oke, an alumnus of Emory University in Atlanta, is a former Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and previously served as Nigeria’s ambassador to the Secretariat of the Commonwealth of Nations in London.
“Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are was Director General of the State Security Service (SSS) from 1999 to 2007, served as National Security Adviser in 2010, and was an officer in the Directorate of Military Intelligence. He graduated with First Class Honours in Psychology from the University of Ibadan in 1980.”
