Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States, Kayode Are, has presented his Letter of Credence to US President Donald Trump at the White House.
Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, confirmed the development in a social media post on Sunday.
Omokri congratulated Are on formally assuming office following his appointment by President Bola Tinubu on January 22, 2026.
The credential presentation ceremony took place at the White House on Thursday, May 21, alongside similar diplomatic events involving ambassadors from 11 other countries.
According to the White House, the ceremony featured an honour guard mounted by members of the armed forces, officers of the US State Department and officials of the National Security Council.
Other diplomats who presented their credentials during the event included ambassadors representing South Africa, Chad, Chile, Yemen, Australia and Kyrgyzstan.
See pictures from the meeting below:
Tinubu approved Are’s posting following his confirmation by the Nigerian Senate in December 2025.
Are, a retired Nigerian Army Colonel and former Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), now the Department of State Services (DSS), has a long career in military intelligence and national security administration.
Born in 1955, he began his military training at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) as part of Regular Combatant Course 12, graduating among the top 10 cadets and being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in December 1974.
Academically, he graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Psychology from the University of Ibadan in 1980, where he emerged as the best graduating student and received multiple academic prizes, including the University Senate Prize. He later obtained a Master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos in 1987.
He served in the Directorate of Military Intelligence, rising to the rank of Colonel before his compulsory retirement from the Nigerian Army in 1993.
Following Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999, Are was appointed Director-General of the State Security Service, a position he held until August 2007, making him the longest-serving DG in the agency’s history. He served under former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
He also served as Deputy National Security Adviser, contributing to national security coordination and intelligence management at senior levels of government.