President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the posting of 65 ambassadors-designate to Nigerian diplomatic missions worldwide, including those at the United Nations, in a move aimed at strengthening the country’s diplomatic presence abroad.
The list comprises 31 non-career ambassadors and 34 career diplomats, whose nominations by the President last November were confirmed by the Senate in December 2025 following their screening by the lawmakers.
According to a statement issued by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Friday, several prominent political figures and public officials were among the non-career envoys assigned to key foreign missions.
Among them is former presidential aide Reno Omokri, who has been posted to Mexico, while former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani-Kayode will serve as Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany.
Also on the list is Senator Ita Enang, who has been assigned to South Africa, and former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, who has been posted to Qatar.
While a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Iba, who served as an administrator in Rivers State, was posted to the Philippines, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, the wife of a former governor of Oyo State, will serve in Austria.
Other notable non-career postings include Aminu Dalhatu as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Lateef Kayode Are as ambassador to the United States, and Ayodele Oke as ambassador to France.
The list of non-career ambassadors also features several political figures and former public office holders assigned to strategic missions around the world.
These include a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau, to China; a former deputy governor of Lagos State, Olufemi Pedro, to Australia; Isaak Adewole to Canada; and Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, who will serve as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
In addition, a former Abia State governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, has been posted to Spain, while his Enugu State counterpart, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has been assigned to Greece.
Career Diplomats
Alongside the political appointees, the President also approved the deployment of 34 career diplomats to various missions across Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
The postings include Nwabiola Chukwumeka to Côte d’Ivoire, Mohammed Lele to Algeria, and Ahmed Monguno to Egypt.
Other career diplomats on the list include Muhammad Dahiru to India, Haidara Idris to The Hague in the Netherlands, and Sulu Olatunji to Malaysia, among others.
According to the statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already begun the diplomatic process required for the deployment of the envoys.
The Presidency also disclosed that the ministry has secured agreement from the United Kingdom for High Commissioner-designate Aminu Dalhatu, while France has also granted agreement for Ayodele Oke.
“The ministry has also conveyed the nominations of the other 62 designated envoys to all the countries concerned, including a request for their agréments in line with standard diplomatic practice.
President Tinubu has directed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should immediately commence the induction programme for the ambassadors-designate and High Commissioners,” it added.
The ambassadorial appointments come after months of diplomatic vacancies, with analysts previously noting that delays in filling the positions created gaps in Nigeria’s foreign representation.
POSTINGS OF NON-CAREER AMBASSADORS / HIGH COMMISSIONERS
S/N NAME MISSION APPROVED
1. SENATOR GRACE BENT: LOME-TOGO
2. SEN. ITA ENANG: SOUTH AFRICA
3. IKPEAZU VICTOR: SPAIN
4. NKECHI LINDA UFOCHUKWU: TEL-AVIV, ISRAEL
5. MAHMUD YAKUBU: QATAR
6. PAUL OGA ADIKWU: THE VATICAN CITY HOLY SEE
7. VICE ADMIRAL IBOK-ETE EKWE IBAS: THE PHILIPPINES
8. MR. RENO OMOKRI: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
9. HON. (ENGR.) ABASI BRAIMAH (FMHR): BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
10. MRS. ERELU ANGELA ADEBAYO: PORTUGAL
11. BARR. OLUMILUA OLUWAYIMIKA AYOTUNWA: TOKYO, JAPAN
12. RT. HON. UGWUANYI IFEANYI LAWRENCE: ATHENS, GREECE
13. BARR. CHIOMA PRISCILLA OHAKIM: WARSAW, POLAND
14. AMINU DALHATU: UNITED KINGDOM, UK
15. LT. GEN ABDULRAHMAN BELLO DAMBAZAU: BEIJING, CHINA
16. HON. TASIU MUSA MAIGARI: GAMBIA
17. OLUFEMI PEDRO: AUSTRALIA
18. BARR. MUHAMMED UBANDOMA ALIYU: ARGENTINA
19. LATEEF KAYODE ARE: USA
20. AMB. JOSEPH SOLA IJI: RUSSIA
21. SEN. JIMOH IBRAHIM: UN PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE
22. FEMI FANI KAYODE: GERMANY
23. PROF. ISAAK FOLORUNSO ADEWOLE: OTTAWA, CANADA
24. AJIMOBI FATIMA FLORENCE (F): AUSTRIA
25. MRS. LOLA AKANDE (F): SWEDEN
26. AYODELE OKE: FRANCE
27. YAKUBU N. GAMBO: SAUDI ARABIA
28. SENATOR PROF. NORA LADI DADUUT: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
29. BARR. ONUEZE CHUKWUJIKA JOE OKOCHA SAN: DUBLIN
30. DR. KULU HARUNA ABUBAKAR: TUNIS, TUNISIA
31. RT. HON. JERRY SAMUEL MANWE: PORT OF SPAIN, T&T
POSTINGS OF CAREER AMBASSADORS / HIGH COMMISSIONERS LIST
S/N NAME MISSION APPROVED
1. AMB. NWABIOLA EZENWA CHUKWUMEKA: COTE D’IV/OIRE
2. BESTO MAIMUNA IBRAHIM: NIAMEY-NIGER
3. MONICA OKWUCHUKWU ENEBECHI: SAO TOME, STP
4. AMB. MOHAMMED MAHMUD LELE: ALGIERS-ALGERIA
5. ENDONI SYNDOPH PAEBI: OUAGADOUGOU-BURKINA FASO
6. AHMED MOHAMMED MONGUNO: CAIRO EGYPT
7. AMB.JANE ADAMS (NEE OKON) MICHAEL (F): KINGSTON-JAMAICA
8. AMB. CLARK-OMERU ALEXANDRA (F): LUSAKA-ZAMBIA
9. CHIMA GEOGGREY LIOMA DAVID: BAMAKO-MALI
10. AMB. ODUMAH YVONNE EHINOSEN: MALABO –E/GUINEA
11. AMB WASA SEGUN IGE: BEIRUT, LEBANON
12. RUBEN ABIMBOLA SAMUEL (F): ROME, ITALY
13. AMB.ONAGA OGECHUKWU KINGSLEY: MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE
14. AMB.MAGAJI UMAR: KINSASHA, DR CONGO
15. AMB.MUHAMMAD SAIDU DAHIRU: NEW DELHI-INDIA
16. AMB. ABDUSSALAM HABU ZAYYAD: DAKAR-SENEGAL
17. AMB SHEHU ILU BARDE: ACCRA GHANA
18. AMB.AMINU NASIR: ETHIOPIA
19. ABUBAKAR MUSA MUSA: N’DJAMENA, CHAD
20. AMB. HAIDARA MOHAMMED IDRIS: THE HAGUE-NETHERLANDS
21. AMB.BAKO ADAMU UMAR: RABAT-MOROCCO
22. AMB. SULU GAMBARI OLATUNJI AHMED: MALAYSIA
23. AMB.ROMATA MOHAMMED OMOBOLANLE (F): TANZANIA
24. AMB. SHAGA JOHN SHAMAH: BOTSWANA
25. SALAU, HAMZA MOHAMMED: TEHRAN, IRAN
26. AMB.IBRAHIM DANLAMI: KENYA
27. IBRAHIM ADEOLA MOPELOLA (F): COTONOU-BENIN
28. 30. AMB. AREWA (NEE ADEDOKUN) ESTHER (F): WINDHOEK-NAMIBIA
31. AMB.GERGADI JOSEPH JOHN: LIBREVILLE-GABON
32. AMB. LUTHER OGBOMODE AYO-KALATA (F): SIERRA LEONE
33. DANLADI YAKUBU NYAKU : KHARTOUM-SUDAN
34. BELLO DOGON-DAJI HALIRU: BANGKOK, THAILAND
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already received agrément from the United Kingdom for the High Commissioner-designate, Ambassador Aminu Dalhatu.
Similarly, France has sent the agrément for Ambassador Ayo Oke.
29. AMB.AKANDE WAHAB ADEKOLA: BERNE-SWITZERLAND