Fani-Kayode, Former INEC Chairman, Former Enugu Governor Top List As President Tinubu Sends 32 More Ambassadorial Nominees To Senate

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sent additional names of 32 ambassadorial nominees including Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, a former aviation minister from Osun State; Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, former governor in Enugu state and Prof.Mahmud Yakubu, a former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to the Senate for confirmation, days after he sent the first batch of three names for confirmation 

In two separate letters to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu asked the Senate to consider and confirm expeditiously 15 nominees as career ambassadors and 17 nominees as non-career ambassadors.

Special Adviser to the President

Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga who made this known in a statement on Saturday, the Nominees included  four women on the career ambassadors' list and six women on the non-career ambassadors' list.

Other  non-career ambassador designates are Barrister Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia, a former presidential aide, Reno Omokri (Delta) and former Ekiti first lady, Erelu Angela Adebayo

Also listed are Tasiu Musa Maigari, the former speaker of the Katsina House of Assembly, Yakubu N. Gambo, a former Commissioner in Plateau State and former deputy executive secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC).

Professor Nora Ladi Daduut, a former senator from Plateau; Otunba Femi Pedro, a former deputy governor of Lagos State and Barrister Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu from Anambra State are on the nomination list.

Also on the list are former First Lady of Oyo, Fatima Florence Ajimobi, former Lagos Commissioner, Lola Akande, former Adamawa Senator, Grace Bent, former governor of Abia, Victor Okezie Ikpeazu, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, businessman, lawyer and Senator from Ondo State, and the former ambassador of Nigeria to the Holy See, Ambassador Paul Oga Adikwu from Benue State.

Among the nominees for career ambassador and high commissioner-designates are: 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) and Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim (Ogun).

The other nominees are 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 (Kawara) and Ambassador Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).

The new nominees according to the statement, are expected to be posted to countries with which Nigeria maintains excellent and strategic bilateral relations, such as China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, Kenya, and to Permanent Missions such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union. 

All the nominees will know their diplomatic assignments after their confirmation by the Senate.

Last week, President Tinubu sent three ambassadorial nominees for screening and confirmation. 

The nominees were Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo), Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa), and Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun). All three are in the pot for posting to the UK, USA, or France after their confirmation.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the statement, said more nominees for ambassadorial positions would be announced soon.