President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded a fresh list of 65 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate, seeking legislative confirmation for the candidates who will represent Nigeria in foreign missions across the world.
The request was read on the Senate floor on Thursday by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, marking one of the most extensive diplomatic nomination batches of the administration so far.
The nominees comprise 34 career diplomats and 31 non-career ambassadors, reflecting a blend of professional foreign service officers and political appointees. Among the prominent career nominees are Sulu-Gambari Olatunde Ahmed from Kwara State and Segun Ige from Edo State.
The non-career list features several notable figures, including former senators Folasade Grace Bent (Adamawa), Solomon Ita Enang (Akwa Ibom), and Jimoh Ibrahim (Ondo). Also listed are Chioma Ohakim, former First Lady of Imo State, and Abdulrahman Dambazau, former Minister of Interior and a former Chief of Army Staff. Their inclusion marks their first appearance after being absent from the initial batch of nominees released by the Presidency.
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Last week, the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs screened three earlier nominees — Kayode Are (Ogun), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa), and Ayodele Oke (Oyo) — who were sent ahead of the new list. The 65 newly announced nominees have now been forwarded to the same committee, with the Senate mandating the committee to complete the screening within one week.
The latest nominations come as Nigeria seeks to strengthen its diplomatic footprint and re-energize its foreign policy engagement under the Tinubu administration.