President Bola Tinubu has approved the posting of 65 ambassadors-designate and high commissioners to represent Nigeria in different countries and international organisations around the world.
The announcement was made by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who disclosed that the appointments include both political appointees and professional diplomats.
According to him, the list contains 31 non-career ambassadors and 34 career ambassadors who have been assigned to various diplomatic missions.
The Senate had earlier confirmed all the nominees in December 2025 after they were screened by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also been directed to begin an induction programme for the envoys before they depart for their duty posts.
The ambassadors-designate are expected to take up their assignments after receiving formal approval from the countries where they will serve.
Role of Nigerian Ambassadors
Ambassadors represent Nigeria in other countries and play an important role in strengthening diplomatic relations.
They promote Nigeria’s political and economic interests, assist Nigerian citizens living abroad, and help develop trade, investment, and cultural ties between Nigeria and other nations.
Nigeria currently maintains diplomatic relations with more than 100 countries across the world through embassies, high commissions, and consulates.
The new appointments are significant because many Nigerian diplomatic missions have operated without substantive ambassadors for several years.
The last major ambassadorial postings were made in 2017 during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Since then, several missions have been managed by senior diplomats serving as chargés d’affaires, a temporary arrangement used when no ambassador is appointed.
Observers say the new postings are expected to strengthen Nigeria’s diplomatic presence and improve its engagement with other countries.
Non-Career Ambassadors
A number of well-known political figures and former public officials are among those appointed as non-career ambassadors.
These appointees are individuals who do not belong to the regular diplomatic service but are selected by the government because of their experience or political roles.
Senator Grace Bent has been posted to Lomé in Togo, while Senator Ita Enang will represent Nigeria in South Africa.
Former Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has been assigned to Spain, and Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu will serve in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Mahmud Yakubu has been posted to Qatar, while Paul Oga Adikwu will represent Nigeria at the Vatican City.
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas will serve in the Philippines, and Reno Omokri has been assigned to Mexico.
Other postings include Abasi Braimah to Budapest in Hungary and Angela Adebayo to Lisbon in Portugal.
Oluwayimika Ayotunwa will serve in Tokyo, Japan, while former Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has been posted to Athens in Greece.
Chioma Priscilla Ohakim will represent Nigeria in Warsaw, Poland.
Aminu Dalhatu has been appointed High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, while retired military officer Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau will serve in Beijing, China.
Tasiu Musa Maigari has been posted to The Gambia, and Olufemi Pedro will represent Nigeria in Australia.
Other non-career ambassadors include Mohammed Aliyu to Argentina, Lateef Kayode Are to the United States, and Joseph Sola Iji to Russia.
Senator Jimoh Ibrahim will serve as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode has been posted to Germany, while former Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, will represent Nigeria in Canada.
Fatima Florence Ajimobi will serve in Vienna, Austria, and Lola Akande has been posted to Stockholm, Sweden.
Former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ayodele Oke, will represent Nigeria in France.
Yakubu N. Gambo has been posted to Saudi Arabia, while Senator Professor Nora Ladi Daduut will serve in Seoul, South Korea.
Joe-Kyari Okocha has been assigned to Dublin, Ireland, while Dr Kulu Haruna Abubakar will represent Nigeria in Tunis, Tunisia.
Jerry Samuel Manwe has been posted to Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago.
Career Diplomats Assigned to Missions
Alongside the political appointees, many experienced diplomats from Nigeria’s Foreign Service have also been assigned to key diplomatic missions.
These career ambassadors are professional diplomats who have spent years working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigeria’s foreign missions.
Ambassador Nwabiola Ezenwa Chukwumeka will serve in Côte d’Ivoire, while Besto Maimuna Ibrahim has been posted to Niamey in Niger.
Monica Okwuchukwu Enebechi will represent Nigeria in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Ambassador Mohammed Mahmud Lele has been posted to Algiers in Algeria, while Endoni Syndoph Paebi will serve in Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso.
Ahmed Mohammed Monguno has been assigned to Cairo, Egypt.
Ambassador Jane Adams will represent Nigeria in Kingston, Jamaica, while Ambassador Clark-Omeru Alexandra has been posted to Lusaka in Zambia.
Other assignments include Chima Geoffrey Lioma David to Bamako in Mali and Ambassador Odumah Yvonne Ehinosen to Malabo in Equatorial Guinea.
Ambassador Wasa Segun Ige will serve in Beirut, Lebanon, while Ruben Abimbola Samuel has been posted to Rome, Italy.
Ambassador Onaga Ogechukwu Kingsley will represent Nigeria in Maputo, Mozambique, and Ambassador Magaji Umar has been assigned to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ambassador Muhammad Saidu Dahiru will serve in New Delhi, India, while Ambassador Abdussalam Habu Zayyad has been posted to Dakar, Senegal.
Ambassador Shehu Ilu Barde will represent Nigeria in Accra, Ghana, and Ambassador Aminu Nasir will serve in Ethiopia.
Abubakar Musa has been assigned to N’Djamena in Chad, while Ambassador Haidara Mohammed Idris will represent Nigeria in The Hague, Netherlands.
Ambassador Bako Adamu Umar will serve in Rabat, Morocco.
Other career ambassadors include Sulu Gambari Olatunji Ahmed to Malaysia, Romata Mohammed Omobolanle to Tanzania, and Shaga John Shamah to Botswana.
Hamza Mohammed Salau will serve in Tehran, Iran, while Ambassador Ibrahim Danlami has been posted to Nairobi, Kenya.
Ibrahim Adeola Mopelola will represent Nigeria in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
Ambassador Ayeni Adebayo Emmanuel has been assigned to Brussels, Belgium, while Ambassador Akande Wahab Adekola will serve in Berne, Switzerland.
Ambassador Arewa Esther will represent Nigeria in Windhoek, Namibia.
Ambassador Gergadi Joseph John will serve in Libreville, Gabon, and Ambassador Luther Ogbomode Ayo-Kalata has been posted to Freetown in Sierra Leone.
Danladi Yakubu Nyaku will represent Nigeria in Khartoum, Sudan, while Bello Dogon-Daji Haliru has been assigned to Bangkok, Thailand.
Diplomatic Approval Required
The presidency also confirmed that some host countries have already granted approval for the newly appointed ambassadors.
According to Onanuga, the United Kingdom has granted approval for Aminu Dalhatu to serve as Nigeria’s High Commissioner.
France has also approved the appointment of Ayodele Oke as Nigeria’s ambassador.
He added that the nominations of the remaining 62 envoys have been sent to their respective host countries.
This approval process is known as agrément in diplomatic practice. It is the formal acceptance given by a country before a foreign ambassador can begin work.
Training Before Deployment
Before leaving for their duty posts, the ambassadors-designate will participate in an induction programme organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The programme will prepare them for their roles in diplomatic negotiations, international relations, and the protection of Nigeria’s interests abroad.
Experts say the training is necessary because the envoys will represent Nigeria on important global issues including trade, security cooperation, migration, and international development.
Strengthening Nigeria’s Foreign Relations
The new ambassadorial postings are expected to strengthen Nigeria’s diplomatic engagement with countries across Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Foreign policy analysts say ambassadors play a key role in promoting economic cooperation, attracting foreign investment, and improving Nigeria’s image abroad.
They also help protect the interests of Nigerians living overseas by providing consular services through embassies and high commissions.
With the latest appointments, the Tinubu administration hopes to reposition Nigeria’s foreign missions and deepen international partnerships.
Once the envoys complete their training and receive final approval from their host countries, they are expected to begin their diplomatic assignments in the coming months.
