Tinubu Nominates Reno, Fani-Kayode, 30 Others as Ambassadorial Nominees

Tinubu Nominates Reno, Fani-Kayode, 30 Others as Ambassadorial Nominees

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has forwarded a fresh list of 32 ambassadorial nominees; including Reno Omokri, Femi Fani-Kayode, former INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, and others, to the Senate for confirmation, expanding the earlier batch of three names he submitted last week.

In two separate letters addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Tinubu requested the “expeditious consideration and confirmation” of 15 career ambassador designates and 17 non-career nominees.

According to the statement issued on Saturday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, four women feature on the career ambassador list, while six women were nominated as non-career ambassadors.

Among the high-profile non-career nominees are former presidential aide Reno Omokri (Delta); former INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu; former First Lady of Ekiti State, Erelu Angela Adebayo; former Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; and former Lagos Deputy Governor, Otunba Femi Pedro.

Former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode (Osun), also made the list.
Others include Barr. Ogbonnaya Kalu (Abia); Tasiu Musa Maigari, former Speaker of the Katsina House of Assembly; Yakubu N. Gambo, former Commissioner in Plateau State; Prof. Nora Ladi Daduut, former Senator from Plateau; and Barrister Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu (Anambra).

Additional nominees are former Oyo First Lady, Florence Ajimobi; former Lagos Commissioner, Lola Akande; former Adamawa Senator, Grace Bent; former Abia Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu; Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (Ondo); and former Vatican envoy, Ambassador Paul Oga Adikwu (Benue).

For the career ambassador and high commissioner category, the nominees include 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).

Others listed 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 (Kwara) and Ambassador Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).

According to the Presidency, the nominees will be deployed to countries with which Nigeria maintains strategic bilateral relations, including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the UAE, Qatar, South Africa, Kenya, as well as multilateral missions such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union, upon Senate confirmation.

This batch comes a week after Tinubu submitted three earlier nominees: Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo), Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa), and retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun), who are expected to be posted to the UK, USA, or France.

President Tinubu added that more ambassadorial nominees will be announced in due course.