- President Bola Tinubu has approved the posting of 65 ambassadors-designate and high commissioners to various countries and international organisations, including the United Nations.
- The appointments include 34 non-career (political) nominees and 31 career diplomats
- The appointments mark the largest ambassadorial posting since 2017 during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, after years of vacant diplomatic positions
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the official posting of 65 ambassadors-designate and high commissioners to various countries and international organisations, including the United Nations.
Among the appointments, former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode has been posted to Germany, while presidential aide Reno Omokri will serve in Mexico.
The announcement was made in a statement on Thursday, March 5, by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who said 34 non-career ambassadors and 31 career diplomats have been assigned to different diplomatic missions.
Among the notable non-career appointments, former Minister of Interior Abdulrahman Dambazau has been posted to Beijing, China, while Senator Jimoh Ibrahim has been designated as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Other prominent nominees include Senator Ita Enang assigned to South Africa, former Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to Spain, former Health Minister Isaac Adewole to Canada, and Lateef Kayode Are to the United States.
Senator Grace Bent will represent Nigeria in Lomé, Togo, while former Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has been assigned to Athens, Greece.
A close associate of the President, Aminu Dalhatu, has been appointed High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, while former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ayodele Oke, will serve in France.
Other non-career appointees include Fatima Ajimobi (Vienna, Austria), Lola Akande (Stockholm, Sweden), Joe-Kyari Okocha (Dublin, Ireland), Ibok-Ete Ibas (Manila, Philippines) and Paul Adikwu, who will represent Nigeria at the Vatican City.
Additional appointments include Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu (Tel Aviv, Israel), Mahmud Yakubu (Doha, Qatar), Yakubu Gambo (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), Nora Ladi Daduut (Seoul, South Korea) and Kulu Haruna Abubakar (Tunis, Tunisia).
Other non-career postings include Abasi Braimah (Budapest, Hungary), Angela Adebayo (Lisbon, Portugal), Oluwayimika Ayotunwa (Tokyo, Japan), Chioma Ohakim (Warsaw, Poland), Olufemi Pedro (Canberra, Australia), Mohammed Aliyu (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Joseph Sola Iji (Moscow, Russia) and Jerry Manwe (Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago).
Several career diplomats were also posted to key missions. Ambassador Mohammed Mahmud Lele will serve in Algiers (Algeria), Ambassador Shehu Barde in Accra (Ghana), and Ambassador Aminu Nasir in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia).
Other career postings include Ambassador Ibrahim Danlami (Nairobi, Kenya), Ambassador Ayeni Adebayo (Brussels, Belgium), and Ambassador Akande Wahab (Berne, Switzerland).
Further assignments include Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Cairo, Egypt), Ambassador Jane Adams (Kingston, Jamaica), and Ambassador Clark-Omeru Alexandra (Lusaka, Zambia).
In addition, Ambassador Muhammad Saidu Dahiru will serve in New Delhi (India), Ambassador Abdussalam Habu Zayyad in Dakar (Senegal), and Abubakar Musa in N’Djamena (Chad).
Other missions include The Hague (Netherlands), Rabat (Morocco), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Gaborone (Botswana), Tehran (Iran), and Cotonou (Benin), among others.
According to Onanuga, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Nigeria) has already secured agrément from the United Kingdom for High Commissioner-designate Aminu Dalhatu, while France has approved the appointment of Ambassador Ayodele Oke.
“The Ministry has also conveyed the nominations of the other 62 designated envoys to all the countries concerned, including a request for their agréments in line with standard diplomatic practice,” Onanuga stated.
Agrément refers to the formal approval given by a host country to accept a diplomat appointed by another nation, a requirement before an ambassador can officially assume duty.
President Tinubu has also directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to begin an induction programme immediately for the ambassadors-designate and high commissioners.
The Nigerian Senate had earlier confirmed all 65 nominees in December 2025 after screening them through its Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The latest appointments combine political nominees, known as non-career ambassadors, and professional diplomats drawn from Nigeria’s foreign service.
Nigeria maintains diplomatic missions in more than 100 countries around the world, including embassies, high commissions and consulates that represent the nation in bilateral and multilateral relations.
The last major round of ambassadorial postings was carried out in 2017 during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, leaving several Nigerian missions without substantive ambassadors for years.
The newly appointed ambassadors are expected to assume their duties after completing their induction programme and receiving agrément from their host countries.