President Bola Tinubu has transmitted a list of three ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, marking the first set of diplomatic appointments since he assumed office in 2023.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the names during Wednesday’s plenary. The nominees are Kayode Are from Ogun State, Aminu Dalhatu from Jigawa State and Ayodele Oke.
Akpabio said the list represented the first batch of nominees and that additional names were expected.
The delay in appointing ambassadors had attracted criticism, with commentators linking gaps in Nigeria’s diplomatic representation to recent foreign policy setbacks.
In a previous interview, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, dismissed concerns that missions were ineffective without appointed envoys. He said chargé d’affaires and career diplomats had been overseeing mission activities without disruption.
According to him, embassies continued to facilitate trade, investment, cultural exchanges and consular services, noting that extended periods without ambassadors were not unusual in global diplomatic practice.
He said the appointment of ambassadors was the prerogative of the president and would be made at the appropriate time.
