Abuja, 29 November 2025 – Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded the names of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, comprising 15 career diplomats and 17 non-career appointees. This follows closely on the heels of an initial batch of three nominees submitted last week.
In letters addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu urged the upper chamber to expedite the screening and confirmation process. The nominees include a mix of former governors, ministers, senators, and other prominent figures from across the country.
Among the non-career ambassadors are notable individuals such as Barrister Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia State, a former presidential aide; Reno Omokri from Delta State; Mahmud Yakubu, the former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); Erelu Angela Adebayo, former First Lady of Ekiti State; and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, former governor of Enugu State.
The list also features Tasiu Musa Maigari, former speaker of the Katsina House of Assembly; Yakubu N. Gambo, a former commissioner in Plateau State and ex-deputy executive secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC); Professor Nora Ladi Daduut, a former senator from Plateau; Otunba Femi Pedro, former deputy governor of Lagos State; Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, former aviation minister from Osun State; and Barrister Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu from Anambra State.
Further nominees include Fatima Florence Ajimobi, former First Lady of Oyo State; Lola Akande, former Lagos commissioner; Grace Bent, former senator from Adamawa; Victor Okezie Ikpeazu, former governor of Abia; Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, a businessman, lawyer, and senator from Ondo State; and Ambassador Paul Oga Adikwu from Benue State, previously Nigeria’s ambassador to the Holy See.
The career ambassador and high commissioner-designates include 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), Ambassador Shehu Barde (Katsina), Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno), Ambassador Muhammad Saidu Dahiru (Kaduna), Ambassador Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari (Kwara), and Ambassador Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).
The press release highlights gender representation, with four women on the career list and six on the non-career list.
Once confirmed, the new envoys are slated for postings to key countries and international organisations where Nigeria holds strong bilateral ties, including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, Kenya, and permanent missions to the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union. Specific assignments will be announced post-confirmation.
This latest nomination comes days after President Tinubu submitted three names: Ambassador Ayodele Oke from Oyo State, Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu from Jigawa State, and Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are from Ogun State. These are earmarked for major postings such as the UK, USA, or France.
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