The former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, has arrived in Doha to officially begin his duties as Nigeria’s ambassador to Qatar.
He was received at the airport by Ibrahim Fakhro, director of the protocol department at the Qatari ministry of foreign affairs, alongside 13 African ambassadors, according to a statement from the ministry of information and national orientation.
Philip Mshelbila, secretary general of the gas exporting countries forum, and Michael Ihekwaba, president of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation in Qatar, were also part of the reception team.
Yakubu completed his tenure as INEC chairman in October, becoming the first electoral commission head in Nigeria to serve two terms.
He was later nominated in November among 32 ambassadorial appointees sent by President Bola Tinubu to the senate for confirmation.
On March 6, he was officially designated as Nigeria’s non-career ambassador to Qatar.
A non-career ambassador is a political appointee selected by a president or head of state to represent the country abroad rather than a professional diplomat from the foreign service, often chosen for experience, political alignment, or expertise.
Tinubu appointed 31 non-career ambassadors and 34 career ambassadors.
As Nigeria’s chief diplomatic representative in Qatar, Yakubu is expected to strengthen bilateral relations and promote frameworks that could channel diaspora remittances into domestic investments.
Energy cooperation remains a key area of focus between both countries, with analysts pointing to opportunities for collaboration between Qatar’s liquefied natural gas expertise and Nigeria’s vast gas reserves.
Nigeria and Qatar established diplomatic relations in 2010, with embassies opened in Abuja and Doha in 2013.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari visited Qatar in 2016, while Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani visited Nigeria in 2019.
President Bola Tinubu also visited Qatar in 2024, during which several agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed to deepen political and economic ties.