President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated a former presidential aide, Reno Omokri (Delta), and former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, among 32 ambassadorial nominees forwarded to the Senate for confirmation, days after he submitted the first batch of three names.
This was disclosed in a statement on Saturday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
According to the press release, in two separate letters to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu asked the Senate to “consider and confirm expeditiously” 15 nominees as career ambassadors and 17 as non-career ambassadors.
Breakdown of the Additional Nominees
Onanuga noted that there are four women on the career ambassadors list and six women on the non-career ambassadors list.
The non-career ambassador designates include Barrister Ogbonnaya Kalu (Abia); former presidential aide Reno Omokri (Delta); former INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu; former Ekiti First Lady, Erelu Angela Adebayo; and former Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
“Others are Tasiu Musa Maigari, former Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly; Yakubu N. Gambo, former Commissioner in Plateau State and former Deputy Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC);
“Professor Nora Ladi Daduut, former Senator from Plateau; Otunba Femi Pedro, former Deputy Governor of Lagos State; Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, former Minister of Aviation (Osun); and Barrister Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu (Anambra),” the statement partly reads.
Also on the list are former First Lady of Oyo State, Fatima Florence Ajimobi; former Lagos Commissioner Lola Akande; former Adamawa Senator Grace Bent; former Abia State Governor Victor Okezie Ikpeazu; and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, a businessman, lawyer, and Senator from Ondo State. Others include the former Ambassador of Nigeria to the Holy See, Ambassador Paul Oga Adikwu (Benue).
The statement added: “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 (Kwara); and Ambassador Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).”
The Presidency stated that the nominees are expected to be posted to countries with which Nigeria maintains strong and strategic bilateral relations, including 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.
According to the statement, all the nominees will learn of their specific diplomatic assignments after Senate confirmation.
Backstory
The development comes days after President Tinubu sent three ambassadorial nominees for screening and confirmation.
- The earlier nominees were Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo), Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa), and Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun).
- All three are scheduled for posting to the UK, USA, or France after confirmation.
- Nairametrics previously reported that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, said in 2024 that the country did not appoint a new set of ambassadors to its missions last year due to a lack of funds.
