President Bola Tinubu has forwarded a new batch of 65 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, marking a significant expansion of Nigeria’s upcoming diplomatic appointments. The list features a combination of career diplomats and political figures.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio read out the president’s request during Thursday’s plenary session.
Of the nominees, 34 are career ambassadors and high commissioners, including Sulu-Gambari Olatunde Ahmed from Kwara State and Segun Ige from Edo State. The 31 non-career nominees include prominent politicians such as Senator Folasade Grace Bent (Adamawa), Senator Solomon Ita Enang (Akwa Ibom), and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (Ondo). Also on the list are Chioma Ohakim, former First Lady of Imo State, and Abdulrahman Dambazau, former Chief of Army Staff and ex-Interior Minister—names absent from the previous batch released by the presidency.
Additionally, former intelligence chiefs Kayode Are (Ogun), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa), and Ayodele Oke (Oyo), previously nominated and screened by the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, were part of the earlier submissions.
The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs has been tasked with screening the new 65 nominees, with the exercise expected to conclude within a week.
Further details are awaited.
