Tinubu Unveils Massive Ambassadorial List

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded a substantial list of thirty-two ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for urgent confirmation, just days after submitting the initial batch of three names. The new list includes a mix of prominent political figures, former public officials, and career diplomats.

The nomination was made public in a statement released on Saturday by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy. The President sent two separate letters to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, urging the expeditious consideration and confirmation of the candidates.

The list is comprised of fifteen nominees designated as career ambassadors and seventeen nominees for non-career positions. The gender breakdown shows four women on the career list and six women on the non-career list, totaling ten female nominees in the batch.

Among the high-profile non-career designates are several figures who have been highly visible in the nation’s political landscape. These include former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, and the immediate past chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmud Yakubu.

The list also features former Aviation Minister Chief Femi Fani-Kayode and two former state governors, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and Dr. Victor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State. The political mix is further cemented by the nomination of Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, a businessman and lawmaker from Ondo State.

Other notable names in the non-career category include Erelu Angela Adebayo, former First Lady of Ekiti State, Otunba Femi Pedro, a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, and Professor Nora Ladi Daduut, a former Senator from Plateau State. The list also includes Fatima Florence Ajimobi, the former First Lady of Oyo State, and former Adamawa Senator, Grace Bent.

The fifteen career ambassador and high commissioner nominees comprise seasoned professionals who have risen through the diplomatic ranks. They include Enebechi Monica Okwuchukwu from Abia, Yakubu Nyaku Danladi from Taraba, Miamuna Ibrahim Besto from Adamawa, and Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim from Ogun, among others.

The presidency indicated that these new nominees are expected to be posted to countries with which Nigeria maintains excellent and strategic bilateral relations. These critical missions include destinations like China, India, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, Kenya, and Permanent Missions to the United Nations and the African Union.

All the nominees will discover their final diplomatic assignments only after they have successfully secured confirmation from the Senate. This latest submission brings the total number of new ambassadorial nominees to thirty-five within a week, signaling the President’s commitment to fully reconstituting Nigeria’s foreign service apparatus.