Senate, Screens Clears 65 Envoy Nominees as Tinubu Readies Additional List

Nigeria’s Senate has given legislative nod to President Bola Tinubu’s diplomatic reshuffle, approving 65 ambassadorial nominees after concluding its screening process on Thursday.

The confirmation followed the adoption of a report by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, which reviewed the credentials of the nominees and declared them suitable for appointment.

The list comprises 34 career diplomats and 31 non-career appointees.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio announced the approval after lawmakers, sitting as the Committee of the Whole, endorsed the committee’s findings through a voice vote.

The chamber later reconvened plenary, where the confirmation was again ratified without dissent.

Presenting the committee’s report, its chairman, Sani Bello, told the Senate that the nominees met the required standards in terms of character, professional background, diplomatic exposure and understanding of international relations.

He acknowledged that petitions had been submitted against some of the nominees but said the allegations were not strong enough to justify their disqualification.

He did not disclose the identities of those involved or the nature of the complaints.

Mr Bello also drew attention to the absence of nominees from some states and appealed to the Senate to nevertheless approve the list, noting that further nominations could address the imbalance.

Following the presentation, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele moved a motion for lawmakers to consider the report at the Committee of the Whole. No senator raised objections to any of the nominees during the exercise.

Among the non-career ambassadors confirmed are former INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu; ex-Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode; former presidential aide Reno Omokri; and Ondo South Senator Jimoh Ibrahim.

Others include former Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, former Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, former Rivers State sole administrator Ibok-Ete Ibas, former Lagos State Deputy Governor Femi Pedro, Florence Ajimobi, widow of late Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi, former Ekiti First Lady Angela Adebayo, former Interior Minister Abdulrahman Dambazzau, and former senators Ita Enang and Grace Bent.

Those confirmed for career ambassadorial roles include Nwaobiala Chukwuemeka, Ahmed Sulu-Gambari, Ramat Omobolanle, Shaga Shamah, Ruben Samuel, Sallahu Mohammed, Ibrahim Danlami, Adeola-Ibrahim Mopelola, Akande Adekola, Arewa Esther and Danladi Nyaku, among others.

President Tinubu had transmitted the names of the 65 nominees to the Senate on 4 December for screening. Prior to that, three ambassadorial nominees, covering both career and non-career categories, had been forwarded and confirmed earlier in the week.

With the Senate’s approval secured, the ambassador-designates are expected to be sworn in by the president and posted to their respective countries of assignment.

Addressing the chamber after the vote, Mr Akpabio thanked President Tinubu for the nominations and urged the confirmed envoys to serve with commitment and patriotism.

He also assured lawmakers that additional lists of nominees would soon be sent to the Senate, adding that states not represented in the current batch would be accommodated in subsequent submissions.

The confirmations came amid public debate over some of the appointments, with concerns raised about past controversies linked to certain nominees. While the Senate committee declined to name those affected by petitions, public speculation had centred on Mr Fani-Kayode and Mr Omokri.

Questions were also raised in some quarters about the appropriateness of appointing a former INEC chairman as an ambassador, given Mr Yakubu’s role in overseeing the 2023 general election that produced President Tinubu.

Despite the criticisms, the Senate proceeded with the confirmations, insisting that none of the issues raised constituted grounds for disqualification under its review process.