THE Senate has confirmed the appointment of 64 ambassadorial nominees, despite sustained criticism from opposition parties and many Nigerians over their nomination.
Of the confirmed nominees, 34 are career ambassadors, while 30 are non-career. Others are prominent political figures and allies of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)
The confirmation followed the consideration and adoption of a report by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, chaired a member of the 10th Senate, Sani Bello.
Among the career ambassadors confirmed by the Senate are Arewa Esther (Oyo), Adeola-Ibrahim Mopelola (Ogun), Ramat Omonbolale (Lagos), Monica Okechukwu Enebechi (Anambra), Adams Bassey (Cross River), Clark Efe (Delta), Mohammed Lele (Bauchi), Muhammad Dahiru (Kaduna) and Ahmed Monguno (Borno), among others.
More controversial, however, was the confirmation of several non-career ambassadors, including Reno Omokri (Delta), former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani-Kayode (Osun), former Rivers State sole administrator, ex-Chief of Naval Staff Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (Cross River) and former INEC chairman Mahmud Yakubu.
Others confirmed as non-career ambassadors include Ita Enang (Akwa Ibom), Chioma Ohakim (Imo), Jimoh Ibrahim (Ondo), Femi Pedro (Lagos), Isaac Adewole (Osun), Ajimobi Florence (Oyo), Sulola Akande (Oyo), Ugwanyi Ifeanyi (Enugu), Jerry Manwe (Taraba), Abas Braimah (Edo) and Onueze Okocha (Rivers).
The confirmations came amid strong objections raised by many Nigerians and opposition parties.
President Bola Tinubu had forwarded the ambassadorial list to the Senate earlier in December, urging lawmakers to expedite the screening to enable timely diplomatic postings.
Part of the nominations were read on the Senate floor on December 4 and referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Their nomination followed the recall of all Nigerian ambassadors by Tinubu in September 2023, shortly after he assumed office.
Opposition parties, particularly the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), had criticised Tinubu’s ambassadorial lists, describing them as ‘scandalous’ and alleging that the administration prioritised political loyalty over merit.
Many Nigerians also expressed outrage on social media, especially over the inclusion of high-profile political loyalists such as Omokri, Fani-Kayode, and Mahmud Yakubu, arguing that the appointments reinforced perceptions of patronage rather than professionalism in Nigeria’s diplomatic service.
The Senate had earlier confirmed three additional non-career ambassadors, bringing the total number of confirmed ambassadors to 67.
They are expected to represent Nigeria in key countries including China, India, Canada, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and Kenya, as well as multilateral institutions such as the United Nations, African Union and UNESCO.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M