By Deborah Nnamdi
President Bola Tinubu has forwarded a fresh list of non-career ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation.
The nominees, unveiled during Thursday’s plenary, include former Chief of Naval Staff and immediate past Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas; former presidential aide, Ita Enang; former Imo State First Lady, Chioma Ohakim; and former Minister of Interior and ex-Chief of Army Staff, Abdulrahman Dambazau.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio read Tinubu’s letter on the floor of the chamber, noting the President’s request for speedy consideration to enable the federal government to fill vacant diplomatic posts. Akpabio thereafter referred the list to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, directing it to screen the nominees and present its report within one week.
The development comes less than a week after Tinubu submitted 32 ambassadorial nominees—15 career and 17 non-career—to the Senate. That earlier list, announced by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, included former INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu; former presidential aide Reno Omokri; ex-Ekiti First Lady Erelu Angela Adebayo; former Enugu Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; former Lagos Deputy Governor Otunba Femi Pedro; former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode; and former Oyo First Lady Florence Ajimobi, among others.
According to the presidency, the nominees will be deployed to countries with strong bilateral ties with Nigeria, such as China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the UAE, Qatar, South Africa, and Kenya, as well as to permanent missions including the UN, UNESCO, and the African Union. Posting details will be released after Senate confirmation.
The expanded list features 10 women—four career and six non-career nominees—and includes former governors, ministers, commissioners, and senators, alongside career diplomats drawn from across several states.
Ambassadors act as the President’s representatives abroad, managing Nigeria’s diplomatic engagements in host countries. Career ambassadors are trained Foreign Service officers, while non-career ambassadors are selected for strategic or political reasons based on their experience and expertise.
President Tinubu had indicated that more nominations would be forwarded in stages as part of ongoing diplomatic appointments.
