Tinubu Appoints Non-Career Ambassadors For US, UK, France
President Bola Tinubu has nominated non-career ambassadors for the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.
The three nominees are Ayodele Oke, Colonel Lateef Are (retd.), and Amin Dalhatu.
A post by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on X revealed that the postings would be finalised following Senate screening.
According to the statement, Dalhatu previously served as Nigeria’s ambassador to South Korea under the Late President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
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.
Colonel Are was the director general of the State Security Service (SSS) from 1999 to 2007, served as National Security Adviser in 2010, and was an officer in the Directorate of Military Intelligence.
He also graduated with First Class honours in Psychology from the University of Ibadan in 1980.
Tinubu had on Wednesday forwarded the names of three non-career ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation.
The letter was read during plenary by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Akpabio has, therefore, directed the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs to review the nominations and report back to the chamber within one week.
Since the emergence of Tinubu in 2023, he has not appointed an ambassador, an issue that critics have latched on to.
After President Donald Trump of the United States blacklisted Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, many blamed this on the non-appointment of ambassadors.
In an interview he granted in September, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, dismissed concerns that diplomatic missions were paralysed without appointed envoys.
“All our embassies are functioning well. The chargé d’affaires in each mission is carrying out responsibilities effectively. The absence of ambassadors has not created a vacuum”, he had said.
He explained that an ambassador is the head of mission, but the diplomatic chain of command includes deputies, counsellors and career officers who handle daily operations.
“Diplomacy is not a one-man show. The system is designed to cope with such situations,” he stated.
Tuggar noted that the appointment of ambassadors is strictly the president’s prerogative and will be made in due course.
“Mr President is considering the matter, and when the time is right, names will be announced. Meanwhile, our missions are not idle,” he had said.
The minister added that Nigeria’s foreign policy objectives were still being pursued, with embassies facilitating trade, investment, consular services and cultural exchanges.
According to him “Nigerians abroad are still accessing services, and our engagement with host countries has not diminished”.
He argued that many countries go through long periods without ambassadors in some missions, without it weakening diplomatic ties.
“This is not peculiar to Nigeria. Diplomacy provides for such scenarios. What matters is substance, not optics,” he said.
“Our foreign policy direction is clear, and our presence is felt globally. What we are doing is ensuring that our missions deliver tangible results for Nigerians, not just ceremonial appearances.”
