On Thursday, the Senate confirmed 64 ambassadorial nominees of President Bola Tinubu, including a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, and a former presidential aide, Reno Omokri.
The confirmation followed the consideration and adoption of a report by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, which said all the nominees were screened and found suitable for the appointment.
The exercise came 48 hours after the upper chamber confirmed three non-career ambassadorial nominees — Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun State), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa State), and Emmanuel Ayodele Oke (Oyo State)—bringing the total number of confirmed ambassadors to 67.
Among those cleared on Thursday were a former Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau; a former Special Adviser on New Media to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri; a former presidential aide, Ita Enang; and a former senator, Grace Bent.
Others include a former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu; a former Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; and a former Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu.
In all, the confirmed nominees comprise 34 career ambassadors and high commissioners, and 30 non-career ambassadors and high commissioners.
Presenting the committee’s report, its chairman, Senator Sani Bello (APC, Niger North), said none of the nominees had petitions against them and that all were found worthy based on their qualifications, experience, and conduct.
In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, congratulated the appointees and urged them to represent Nigeria positively in their respective postings.
The confirmation came days after the Senate dismissed claims circulating on social media that petitions had been submitted against some nominees, including Fani-Kayode and Omokri.
The Senate spokesperson, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, had said no petition or formal complaint was received by the upper chamber, insisting that the screening process involved detailed engagement with the nominees and not a mere “take a bow and go” exercise.
Speaking to PUNCH Online, he said, “I am telling you that we didn’t receive petitions from anybody, organisation, or legal entity. Not even from any faceless, outlawed, and rogue element. There was no petition against any nominee.”
Tinubu had transmitted an expanded list of 65 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate on December 4 in a bid to fill long-vacant diplomatic posts and reposition Nigeria’s foreign missions.
The transmission followed months of delay after all Nigerian envoys were recalled in 2023, a situation that had generated debate over Nigeria’s diplomatic representation abroad.
With the confirmations now complete, the confirmed ambassadors are expected to be posted to key global capitals and international organisations in line with Nigeria’s foreign policy priorities.
