Tinubu Nominates Ambassadors To US, 2 Other Countries

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded the names of three non-career ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation.

The request was contained in a letter addressed to the Senate and read during Wednesday’s plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

According to President Tinubu, the appointments were made in line with Section 171 (1), (2)(c), and (4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The nominees are Aminu Dalhatu from Jigawa State, Ayodele Oke from Oyo State, and Kayode Are from Ogun State.

The President nominated them as ambassadors to three countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.

Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu previously served as Nigeria’s ambassador to South Korea during President Buhari’s administration, having first been appointed in 2016.

Ambassador Ayodele Oke, an alumnus of Emory University in Atlanta, is a former Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and previously served as Nigeria’s ambassador to the Secretariat of the Commonwealth of Nations in London.

Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are served as Director General of the State Security Service (SSS) from 1999 to 2007, was National Security Adviser in 2010, and previously worked as an officer in the Directorate of Military Intelligence.

He graduated with First Class Honours in Psychology from the University of Ibadan in 1980.

The President urged the Senate to “consider and confirm the appointments of the nominees expeditiously,” while conveying his “highest consideration” to the lawmakers.

After reading the letter, Senate President Akpabio remarked that more nominations were expected. “The list contains three names for now. I am sure others will follow,” he said.

He subsequently referred the request to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and directed the panel to screen the nominees and submit its report within one week.