President Bola Tinubu has forwarded the names of 32 additional ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for screening and confirmation.
The latest list comes days after an initial batch of three nominees was transmitted to the upper chamber.
A statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the nominees comprise 15 career ambassadors and 17 non-career ambassadors.
According to the statement titled “Tinubu nominates 32 additional ambassadors”*, the President, in two separate letters to the President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, requested expeditious consideration of the nominees.
Onanuga said four women were included among the career ambassador-designates, while six women appeared on the list of non-career nominees.
The non-career nominees include former INEC Chairman, Mahmud Yakubu; former presidential aide, Reno Omokri (Delta); former Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; former Ekiti First Lady, Erelu Adebayo; and Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia.
Others are former Katsina State House of Assembly Speaker, Tasiu Musa Maigari; Yakubu N. Gambo, a former Commissioner in Plateau; former UBEC Deputy Executive Secretary; Prof. Nora Ladi Daduut, a former senator from Plateau; former Lagos Deputy Governor, Otunba Femi Pedro; former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode; and Nkechi Ufochukwu from Anambra.
Also nominated are former Oyo First Lady, Florence Ajimobi; former Lagos Commissioner, Lola Akande; former Adamawa Senator, Grace Bent; former Abia Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu; Senator Jimoh Ibrahim of Ondo; and Nigeria’s former Ambassador to the Holy See, Paul Oga Adikwu.
The 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).
Others 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).
Onanuga said the envoys, once confirmed, would be deployed to countries with strong and strategic ties with Nigeria, including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, UAE, Qatar, South Africa and Kenya, as well as multilateral missions such as the UN, UNESCO and AU.
He added that the specific postings would be announced after Senate confirmation.
Last week, the President submitted three earlier nominees: Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo), Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa) and retired Col. Kayode Are (Ogun), expected to be posted to the UK, U.S. or France.
Onanuga said more ambassadorial nominations would be transmitted to the Senate in due course.
