Abuja – March 6, 2026
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the immediate posting of 31 career ambassadors and 34 non-career ambassadors/high commissioners to various countries and international organisations, following their confirmation by the Senate in December 2025.
The State House announcement, signed by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, was released on Friday evening. The postings represent one of the largest single diplomatic reshuffles in recent years and are intended to reposition Nigeria’s foreign service amid growing geopolitical challenges, economic diplomacy priorities and the need to protect Nigerian interests abroad.
Breakdown of Postings
The approved list includes a mix of seasoned career diplomats and prominent non-career appointees drawn from politics, the military, academia and the private sector.
Notable non-career postings include:
- Senator Grace Bent – Lomé, Togo
- Senator Ita Enang – Pretoria, South Africa
- Ikpeazu Victor – Madrid, Spain
- Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu – Tel Aviv, Israel
- Mahmud Yakubu – Doha, Qatar
- Paul Oga Adikwu – The Vatican City (Holy See)
- Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas – Manila, Philippines
- Mr. Reno Omokri – Mexico City, Mexico
- Hon. (Engr.) Abasi Braimah – Budapest, Hungary
- Mrs. Erelu Angela Adebayo – Lisbon, Portugal
- Barr. Olumilua Oluwayimika Ayotunwa – Tokyo, Japan
- Rt. Hon. Ugwuanyi Ifeanyi Lawrence – Athens, Greece
- Barr. Chioma Priscilla Ohakim – Warsaw, Poland
- Aminu Dalhatu – London, United Kingdom
- Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau – Beijing, China
- Hon. Tasiu Musa Maigari – Banjul, Gambia
- Olufemi Pedro – Canberra, Australia
- Barr. Muhammed Ubandoma Aliyu – Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Lateef Kayode Are – Washington, D.C., United States
- Amb. Joseph Sola Iji – Moscow, Russia
- Senator Jimoh Ibrahim – Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York
- Femi Fani-Kayode – Berlin, Germany
- Prof. Isaak Folorunso Adewole – Ottawa, Canada
- Ajimobi Fatima Florence – Vienna, Austria
- Mrs. Lola Akande – Stockholm, Sweden
- Ayodele Oke – Paris, France
- Yakubu N. Gambo – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Senator Prof. Nora Ladi Daduut – Seoul, South Korea
- Barr. Onueze Chukwujika Joe Okocha SAN – Dublin, Ireland
- Dr. Kulu Haruna Abubakar – Tunis, Tunisia
- Rt. Hon. Jerry Samuel Manwe – Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Among the career ambassadors posted are:
- Amb. Nwabiola Ezenwa Chukwumeka – Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
- Besto Maimuna Ibrahim – Niamey, Niger
- Monica Okwuchukwu Enebechi – São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe
- Amb. Mohammed Mahmud Lele – Algiers, Algeria
- Endoni Syndoph Paebi – Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
- Ahmed Mohammed Monguno – Cairo, Egypt
- Amb. Jane Adams (née Okon) Michael – Kingston, Jamaica
- Amb. Clark-Omeru Alexandra – Lusaka, Zambia
- Chima Geoggrey Lioma David – Bamako, Mali
- Amb. Odumah Yvonne Ehinos – Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
- Amb. Wasa Segun Ige – Beirut, Lebanon
- Ruben Abimbola Samuel – Rome, Italy
- Amb. Onaga Ogechukwu Kingsley – Maputo, Mozambique
- Amb. Magaji Umar – Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Amb. Muhammad Saidu Dahiru – New Delhi, India
- Amb. Abdussalam Habu Zayyad – Dakar, Senegal
- Amb. Shehu Ilu Barde – Accra, Ghana
- Amb. Aminu Nasir – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Abubakar Musa Musa – N’Djamena, Chad
- Amb. Haidara Mohammed Idris – The Hague, Netherlands
- Amb. Bako Adamu Umar – Rabat, Morocco
- Amb. Sulu Gambari Olatunji Ahmed – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Amb. Romata Mohammed Omobolanle – Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Amb. Shaga John Shamah – Gaborone, Botswana
- Salau, Hamza Mohammed – Tehran, Iran
- Amb. Ibrahim Danlami – Nairobi, Kenya
- Ibrahim Adeola Mopelola – Cotonou, Benin
- Amb. Ayeni Adebayo Emmanuel – Brussels, Belgium
- Amb. Akande Wahab Adekola – Berne, Switzerland
- Amb. Arewa (née Adedokun) Esther – Windhoek, Namibia
- Amb. Gergadi Joseph John – Libreville, Gabon
- Amb. Luther Ogbomode Ayo-Kalata – Freetown, Sierra Leone
- Danladi Yakubu Nyaku – Khartoum, Sudan
- Bello Dogon-Daji Haliru – Bangkok, Thailand
Agréments and Induction
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already secured agrément (formal acceptance) from the United Kingdom for High Commissioner-designate Amb. Aminu Dalhatu and from France for Amb. Ayodele Oke. Notifications and requests for agrément have been sent to all receiving countries and organisations for the remaining 62 nominees, in line with standard Vienna Convention diplomatic procedures.
President Tinubu has directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to immediately commence a comprehensive induction programme for all ambassadors-designate and high commissioners. The training will cover Nigeria’s foreign policy priorities, economic diplomacy, consular services, digital diplomacy, climate diplomacy, counter-terrorism cooperation and protocol in multilateral settings.
Strategic Context
The postings reflect the Tinubu administration’s focus on repositioning Nigeria’s diplomatic footprint amid shifting global dynamics, including the ongoing Middle East crisis, energy market volatility, and the need to strengthen economic ties in Asia, Europe, the Americas and Africa. Several appointments—particularly to major powers (United States, China, Russia, United Kingdom, Germany, France) and strategic regional hubs (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, South Africa)—are seen as efforts to advance Nigeria’s interests in trade, investment, diaspora engagement and multilateral forums.
The inclusion of prominent political figures, retired military officers and technocrats among the non-career ambassadors signals an intention to blend career professionalism with high-level political connectivity and sectoral expertise.
The Senate confirmed the 65 nominees in December 2025 after extensive screening hearings. The postings are expected to take effect in the coming weeks once agréments are received and induction training is completed.
The State House statement concluded by wishing the ambassadors-designate and high commissioners success in their new assignments.
