After over two and half years wait, President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria has finally made major ambassadorial nominations, with the list dominated by his loyalists and praise-singers.
On the list sent to the senate on Saturday, are controversial social media influencer and strong defender of Tinubu government, Reno Omokri, ex-aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode and two loyalists of the Minister of the FCT Nyesom Wike, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Okezie Ikpeazu.
Wike is a very influential political ally of Mr. Tinubu, and the FCT minister, Ugwuanyi and Ikpeazu were members of the defunct G-5 governors, who worked against the interest of their party PDP to help Tinubu win the 2023 presidential election.
The President forwarded the list of 32 ambassadorial nominees, comprising career and non-career ambassadors, to the Senate for confirmation, days after he sent the first batch of three names.
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.
There are four women on the career ambassadors’ list, and six women on the non-career ambassadors’ list.
Among the non-career ambassador designates are Barrister Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia, Reno Omokri (Delta); former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Mahmud Yakubu; former Ekiti first lady, Erelu Angela Adebayo, and former Enugu governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
Others 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; Fani-Kayode from Osun State; and Barrister Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu from Anambra State.
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).
According to the statement from the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, “The new nominees 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.”
Recall that last week, Tinubu sent three ambassadorial nominees for screening and confirmation.
They were Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo), Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa), and Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun).
cpcnews.org 