Nigeria’s Senate, the upper chamber of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has formally confirmed 64 individuals nominated for career and non-career ambassadorial positions, following the consideration and adoption of a report submitted by its Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The confirmation was concluded during plenary in Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital, after the committee presented its findings on the nominees forwarded by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s current President and Head of Government, who had earlier transmitted a second list of ambassadorial nominees to the legislature on Saturday, November 29, 2025.
Okay News reports that the confirmation process followed the presentation of the committee’s report by Senator Sani Bello, a Nigerian lawmaker representing Niger State and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs. After deliberations, the Senate unanimously adopted the committee’s recommendations, leading to the approval of all 64 nominees.
However, proceedings were briefly disrupted when Senator Sahabi Yau, who represents Zamfara North Senatorial District in Zamfara State, northwestern Nigeria, raised concerns over what he described as the complete omission of nominees from Zamfara State in the ambassadorial list.
Senator Yau urged the leadership of the Senate to formally notify the President about the exclusion, stressing that diplomatic representation should reflect Nigeria’s federal character principle, which seeks equitable inclusion of all states in national appointments.
In response, Godswill Akpabio, Nigeria’s Senate President and former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, acknowledged the concern raised by his colleague. He clarified that the list currently before the Senate was not exhaustive, assuring lawmakers that additional ambassadorial nominations would be submitted by the executive.
The Senate President further assured that Zamfara State would not be sidelined in future ambassadorial appointments, adding that he would personally communicate the issue to President Tinubu to ensure corrective action.
The confirmation clears the way for the newly approved ambassadors to assume their diplomatic roles, pending further administrative processes, as Nigeria seeks to strengthen its foreign relations and diplomatic presence across key international missions.
