President Bola Tinubu has approved the deployment of four ambassador-designates from the list of 68 nominees earlier confirmed by the Senate in December.
The approval was disclosed on Thursday in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, the President confirmed the posting of Ambassador Ayodele Oke as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to France, while Colonel Lateef Are has been named ambassador-designate to the United States of America.
Also approved is the appointment of Ambassador Amin Dalhatu, a former envoy to South Korea, as the high commissioner-designate to the United Kingdom. In addition, Usman Isa Dakingari Suleiman, a former governor of Kebbi State, has been posted as ambassador-designate to Turkey, a country President Tinubu is expected to visit on a state trip next week.
Onanuga explained that President Tinubu, in a memo to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, directed the ministry to formally notify the governments of the four host countries of the appointments, in line with established diplomatic protocols.
It would be recalled that on December 18, 2025, the Senate confirmed 64 career and non-career ambassadorial nominees submitted by the President, following the consideration of a report by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Earlier, on December 4, President Tinubu had written to the Senate seeking confirmation for 65 ambassadorial nominees, made up of 34 career diplomats and 31 non-career ambassadors and high commissioners.
Before the bulk confirmation, the Senate had already approved three non-career nominees—Lateef Kayode Are, Aminu Dalhatu, and Emmanuel Ayodele Oke—bringing the total number of confirmed ambassadors to 67.
The list of non-career nominees includes notable political figures such as former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu; former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode; former Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu; and former presidential aide, Reno Omokri.
What you should know
Ambassadorial postings are the final stage of Nigeria’s diplomatic appointment process after Senate confirmation.
While dozens of nominees may be approved at once, postings are often done in phases, depending on foreign policy priorities and diplomatic engagements.
The current approvals signal Nigeria’s renewed focus on strengthening ties with key partners such as the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Turkey.
