By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Thursday directed the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs to immediately commence the screening of 65 ambassadorial nominees submitted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with a mandate to report back within one week.
Tinubu’s request, transmitted in accordance with Section 171 (1), (2) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution, contains 34 career envoys and 31 non-career nominees drawn from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The list represents the largest batch of diplomatic nominations since the President assumed office and features a high-profile mix of former governors, retired service chiefs, political figures, and seasoned diplomats.
Akpabio read the President’s letter during plenary, after which he swiftly referred the list to the Senator Abubakar Sani Bello-led Foreign Affairs Committee.
The Senate President said prompt confirmation would help Nigeria strengthen its diplomatic engagements at a time of shifting global alliances and renewed foreign policy priorities.
The transmission came barely 24 hours after the Senate concluded the screening of an earlier set of three ambassadorial nominees, Kayode Are (Ogun), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa), and Ayodele Oke (Oyo).
The new list contains several prominent career diplomats, including Ambassador Sulu-Gambari Olatunji Ahmed (Kwara), Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno), and Maimuna Ibrahim (Adamawa).
Others are Ambassador Mohammed Mahmoud Lele (Bauchi), Adeyemi Adebayo Emmanuel (Ekiti), Onaga Ogechukwu Kingsley (Enugu), Ramata Mohammed (Lagos), Salau Hamza Mohammed (Niger), and Adeola Ibrahim Mopelola (Ogun).
Equally notable are the non-career nominees. Among them are former presidential aide and ex-senator Solomon Ita Enang (Akwa Ibom); former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd) of Cross River; and a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd) from Kano.
Also on the list are former Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Senator Grace Bent (Adamawa); former Lagos Deputy Governor Olufemi Pedro; former First Lady of Imo State, Chioma Ohakim; Florence Ajimobi (Oyo); and Plateau’s Yakubu N. Gambo.
The nominees, drawn from every state, reflect what officials describe as the administration’s plan to broaden Nigeria’s diplomatic footprint and inject new energy into missions abroad.
