Tinubu forwards 68 ambassadorial nominees to Senate, first batch cleared

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has transmitted a list of 68 ambassadorial nominees – comprising 34 career diplomats and 31 non-career nominees – to the Senate for confirmation, signalling the start of a major reshuffle and reactivation of Nigeria’s diplomatic corps.

The list, obtained on Wednesday night, shows a broad distribution across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, with nominees drawn from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the political class, security institutions, and the private sector.

The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs has already cleared the first batch of three nominees after screening them earlier in the day.

Breakdown of the List

Career Ambassadors (34):

They include Ambassador Mwaobiola Ezeuwo Chukwuemeka (Abia), Maimuna Ibrahim (Adamawa), Ambassador Mohammed Mahmoud Lele (Bauchi), Endoni Sindup (Bayelsa), Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno), Ambassador Adeyemi Adebayo Emmanuel (Ekiti), Ambassador Onaga Ogechukwu Kingsley (Enugu), and Ambassador Abdul Salam Abus Zayat (Kano), among others.

Also on the list are Ambassador Sulu Gambari (Kwara), Ambassador Romata Mohammed Omobolanle (Lagos), Salau Hamza Mohammed (Niger), Ruben Abimbola Samuel (Ondo), Ambassador Akonde Wahab Adekola (Osun), Ambassador Ariwani Adedokun Esther (Oyo), Ambassador Luther Obomode Ayokatata (Rivers), Danladi Yakubu Yaku (Taraba), and Bidu Dogondagi (Zamfara).

Non-Career Ambassadors (31):

The non-career nominees include former Abia governor Dr. Victor Okezie Ikpeazu; Senator Grace Bent (Adamawa); Senator Ita Enang (Akwa Ibom); Nkechi Linda Okocha (Anambra); Reno Omokri (Delta); Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas (rtd.) (Cross River); Hon. Abbasi Brahma (Edo); Erelu Angela Adebayo (Ekiti); former Enugu governor Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Barr. Mrs. Chioma Ohakim (Imo); Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau (rtd.) (Kano); Olufemi Pedro (Lagos); Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, PhD (Ondo); Femi Fani-Kayode (Osun); and Ajimobi Fatima Florence (Oyo).

Others include Lola Akande (Oyo), Senator Prof. Nora Ladi Daduut (Plateau), Onweze Chukwudi (Rivers), Dr. Kulu Haruna Abubakar (Sokoto), and Rt. Hon. Jerry Samuel Manwe (Taraba).

First Batch Cleared

Three nominees – Ayodele Oke (Oyo), Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa), and Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun)—have already been screened and approved by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Sources at the National Assembly say the Senate will conclude the screening of the remaining 65 nominees in the coming days, after which the full list will be presented for confirmation at plenary.

The fresh appointments mark the first major overhauling of Nigeria’s diplomatic representation under President Tinubu, following the recall of all ambassadors in 2023 and subsequent delays in fresh postings.