President Bola Tinubu has forwarded a fresh set of three non-career ambassadorial nominees to the Nigerian Senate for confirmation — the first such action since he assumed office in 2023.
The nominees on the list are Kayode Are (from Ogun State), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa State) and Ayodele Oke (Oyo State).
During Wednesday’s plenary session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the President’s letter and referred the nominees to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs for verification, with a mandate to report back within one week.
The move ends a diplomatic hiatus that began in September 2023, when Tinubu recalled all Nigerian ambassadors — a decision that left over 100 foreign missions without formally appointed heads.
In response to prior concerns, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had argued that embassies continued to operate under experienced chargés d’affaires and career diplomats, insisting that diplomacy does not solely rely on ambassadors.
