The Senate has approved the nominations of three non-career ambassadors, marking the first batch of nominees submitted by President Tinubu two weeks ago and screened by the upper chamber last week.
The confirmed nominees are Lateef Kayode Kolawole from Ogun State, Aminu Muhammad Dalhatu from Jigawa State, and Emmanuel Ayodele Oke, CFR, from Oyo State.
Their confirmation followed the consideration of the report from the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, which conducted the screening exercise.
Meanwhile, 64 other ambassadorial nominees forwarded to the Senate and screened are still awaiting confirmation.
President Tinubu submitted the names of the three non-career ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation on November 26. This was the first list of ambassadorial nominees sent to the Senate since Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023.
Following this, the President nominated 32 additional individuals for ambassadorial roles, including a former governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Mahmood Yakubu; ex-minister, Femi Fani-Kayode; and former presidential aide, Reno Omokri.
Other nominees included a former governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu; former deputy governor of Lagos State, Femi Pedro; Ondo Senator and businessman, Jimoh Ibrahim; former Ekiti first lady, Erelu Angela Adebayo; and former Adamawa Senator, Grace Bent.
A breakdown of the list shows four women on the career ambassadors’ list and six on the non-career ambassadors’ list.
Additional non-career ambassadorial nominees include Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia; former Katsina House of Assembly speaker, Tasiu Musa Maigari; former Plateau State Commissioner and ex-deputy executive secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Yakubu N. Gambo; former Plateau Senator, Nora Ladi Daduut; Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu from Anambra State; ex-First Lady of Oyo, Fatima Florence Ajimobi; former Lagos Commissioner, Lola Akande; and former Nigerian ambassador to the Holy See, Paul Oga Adikwu from Benue State.
In addition, President Tinubu nominated career ambassadors and high commissioner-designates, including 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), Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim (Ogun), Abimbola Samuel Reuben (Ondo), Yvonne Ehinosen Odumah (Edo), Hamza Mohammed Salau (Niger), Shehu Barde (Katsina), Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno), Muhammad Saidu Dahiru (Kaduna), Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari (Kawara), and Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).