President Bola Tinubu has forwarded to the Senate a request for the confirmation of 65 ambassadorial nominees, comprising 34 career ambassadors and 31 non-career ambassadors and high commissioners.
The letter conveying the request was read on the floor of the Senate today by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.
The list of non-career nominees features several prominent political figures, including former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu; former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode; former Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu; and a former presidential aide, Reno Omokri.
Others are Senator Ita Enang, a former Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Chioma Ohakim; Bello Danbazau; Vice Admiral Ibok Ete (retd.) and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, among others.
Both lists have been referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, which is expected to conduct the screening process and report back to the upper chamber within one week.
The new list of 65 nominees raises the total number of ambassadorial candidates before the Senate to 68.
Relying on the provisions of Section 171, subsections 1, 2, and 4 of the 1999 Constitution, President Tinubu urged the Senate to consider the nominations swiftly. The Senate has referred the list to the Committee on Foreign Affairs for screening, with a mandate to report back within one week.
This announcement follows last week’s submission of three other nominees, Kayode Are, Aminu Dalhatu, and Ayodele Oke, who have already been screened by the committee chaired by Senator Abubakar Sani Bello.
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The full list of nominees spans all 36 states and comprises diplomats, technocrats, politicians, and retired security chiefs, reflecting Nigeria’s effort to strengthen its foreign missions worldwide.
Here’s the full list below:
CAREER AMBASSADORS (34)
1. Abia: Ambassador Mwaobiola Ezeuwo Chukwuemeka
2. Adamawa: Maimuna Ibrahim
3. Anambra: Enpeji Monica Okochukwu
4. Bauchi: Ambassador Mohammed Mahmoud Lele
5. Bayelsa: Endoni Sindup
6. Borno: Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Monguno
7. Cross River: Ambassador Jen Adams Ni Okun Michael
8. Delta: Ambassador Clark Omeru Alexandra
9. Ebonyi: Chima J. Leoma Davies
10. Edo: Oduma Yvonne Ehinose
11. Edo: Wasa Shogun Ige
12. Ekiti: Ambassador Adeyemi Adebayo Emmanuel
13. Enugu: Ambassador Onaga Ogechukwu Kingsley
14. Jigawa: Ambassador Magaji Umar
15. Kaduna: Ambassador Mohammed Saidu Dahiru
16. Kano: Ambassador Abdul Salam Abus Zayat
17. Katsina: Ambassador Shehu
18. Katsina: Ambassador Aminu Nasu
19. Kebbi: Abubakar Musa Musa
20. Kebbi: Ambassador Haidara Mohammed Idris
21. Kogi: Ambassador Bako Adamu Umar
22. Kwara: Ambassador Sulu Gambari
23. Lagos: Ambassador Rahmat Omobolanle Mohammed
24. Nasarawa: Ambassador Shaga John Shama
25. Niger: Salau Hamza Mohammed
26. Niger: Ambassador Ibrahim Dan Lamy
27. Ogun: Adjola Ibrahim Mopolola
28. Ondo: Ruben Abimbola Samuel
29. Osun: Ambassador Akande Wahab Adekola
30. Oyo: Ambassador Ariwani Adedokun Esther
31. Plateau: Ambassador Gedagi Joseph John
32. Rivers: Ambassador Luther Obomode Ayokatata
33. Taraba: Danladi Yakubu Yaku
34. Zamfara: Bidu Dogondagi
NON-CAREER AMBASSADORS (31)
35. Abia: Dr. Victor Okezie Ikpeazu
36. Abia: Barrister Ogbonnaya Kalu
37. Adamawa: Senator Grace Bent
38. Akwa Ibom: Senator Ita Enang
39. Anambra: Nkechi Linda Okocha
40. Bauchi: Mahmoud Yakubu
41. Bayelsa: Philip K. Ikurusi
42. Benue: Paul Olga Adiku
43. Cross River: Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas (rtd.)
44. Delta: Reno Omokri
45. Edo: Hon. Abbasi Brahma
46. Ekiti: Erelu Angela Adebayo
47. Ekiti: Barrister Olumilua Oluwayemika
48. Enugu: Rt. Hon. Ugwanyi Ifeanyi
49. Imo: Barr. Mrs. Chioma Ohakim
50. Kano: Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau (rtd.)
51. Katsina: Hon. Tasiu Musa Maigari
52. Kogi: Alhaji Abubakar Sanusi Aliu
53. Lagos: Olufemi Pedro
54. Nasarawa: Barr. Mohammed Obanduma Aliu
55. Ondo: Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, PhD
56. Ondo: Ambassador Joseph Yusuf Shara’aji
57. Ogun: Fani-Kayode
58. Oyo: Ajimobi Fatima Florence
59. Oyo: Lola Akande
60. Plateau: Yakubu N. Gambo
61. Plateau: Senator Prof. Nora Ladi Daduut
62. Rivers: Onweze Chukwudi
63. Sokoto: Dr. Kulu Haruna Abubakar
64. Taraba: Rt. Hon. Jerry Samuel Manwe
65. Yobe: Adamu Garba Tarba-Nagri
FIRST BATCH ALREADY CLEARED BY SENATE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE (3)
66. Oyo State: Ayodele Oke
67. Jigawa: Amin Mohammed Dalhatu
68. Ogun: Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are