President Bola Tinubu’s 64 ambassadorial nominations, including former presidential assistant Reno Omokri and former minister of aviation Femi Fani-Kayode, were approved by the Senate on Thursday.
The approval came after the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs reviewed and approved a report stating that each nominee had been vetted and deemed qualified for the position.
The exercise took place 48 hours after the upper house confirmed three non-career ambassadorial nominees: Emmanuel Ayodele Oke (Oyo State), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa State), and Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun State), increasing the total number of confirmed ambassadors to 67.
Former Interior Minister Abdulrahman Dambazau, former President Goodluck Jonathan’s Special Advisor on New Media Reno Omokri, former presidential aide Ita Enang, and former senator Grace Bent were among those cleared on Thursday.
Others include Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the former governor of Enugu State; Okezie Ikpeazu, the former governor of Abia State; and Mahmood Yakubu, the former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Thirty non-career ambassadors and high commissioners and thirty career ambassadors and high commissioners make up the total number of confirmed nominations.
The committee’s chairman, Senator Sani Bello (APC, Niger North), presented the report and stated that all of the nominees were deemed deserving based on their credentials, experience, and behavior.
Godswill Akpabio, the Senate President, thanked the appointees and asked them to represent Nigeria well in their new positions.
The confirmation was made a few days after the Senate rejected social media rumors that petitions had been filed against Fani-Kayode and Omokri, among other nominations.
Senator Yemi Adaramodu, the Senate spokesperson, insisted that the screening process comprised in-depth interaction with the nominees rather than a simple “take a bow and go” procedure and stated that neither a formal complaint nor a petition had been received by the upper chamber.
“I am telling you that we didn’t receive petitions from anybody, organization, or legal entity,” he declared. Not even from any renegade, illegal, and faceless element. No petition was filed against any of the nominees.
In an effort to realign Nigeria’s overseas embassies and fill long-vacant diplomatic positions, Tinubu sent the Senate an extended list of 65 ambassadorial nominees on December 4.
Following the recall of all Nigerian envoys in 2023, which sparked discussion about Nigeria’s diplomatic presence overseas, the transmission was delayed for several months.
In accordance with Nigeria’s foreign policy aims, the confirmed ambassadors are now anticipated to be sent to important international organizations and global capitals.
