President Bola Tinubu has nominated former Rivers State sole administrator Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas and former Interior Minister Abdulrahman Dambazau, along with other non-career candidates, for ambassadorial appointments.
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The Senate received the nominations on Thursday during plenary after Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the president’s letter on the floor. The list also includes former presidential aide Ita Enang and former Imo First Lady Chioma Ohakim.
Akpabio directed the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs to screen the nominees and submit its report within one week.
The latest submissions follow the president’s earlier transmission of 32 ambassadorial nominees, coming days after he sent an initial set of three names. That broader list features former INEC chairman Mahmud Yakubu, former presidential aide Reno Omokri, and former Enugu governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, among others.
In a statement on Saturday, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Tinubu forwarded two separate letters requesting quick confirmation of 15 career and 17 non-career ambassadors. He noted that the career group includes four women, while six women appear on the non-career list.
The nominees are expected to be posted to countries with which Nigeria maintains strong diplomatic ties, including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, and Kenya. Others will serve at Nigeria’s permanent missions to the United Nations, UNESCO and the African Union. Their postings will be finalized once the Senate completes the confirmation process.
