Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has approved the posting of four ambassador-designates to France, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Turkey, as the country moves to fill vacant top diplomatic roles in major partner nations.
The development was announced on Thursday by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, who said the postings were drawn from a larger list of nominees already confirmed by Nigeria’s Senate, the upper chamber of the National Assembly.
“The President has approved the posting of four ambassador-designates out of the 68 confirmed by the Senate last December,” Onanuga said, in a statement. Okay News reports that the postings cover both ambassador roles and a high commissioner role, depending on the country involved.
According to the presidential spokesperson, Ambassador Ayodele Oke has been assigned to France, a leading Western European nation and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, while Colonel Lateef Are is to serve as Nigeria’s envoy to the United States, the world’s largest economy and Nigeria’s long-standing strategic partner in North America.
Onanuga also said Tinubu approved the posting of Ambassador Amin Dalhatu as high commissioner-designate to the United Kingdom, a major European power and a Commonwealth country that shares historical ties with Nigeria. In diplomatic practice, Nigeria sends a “high commissioner” to Commonwealth nations, while it sends an “ambassador” to non-Commonwealth countries.
Dalhatu previously served as Nigeria’s ambassador to South Korea, officially known as the Republic of Korea, a key East Asian economy.
For Turkey, a transcontinental country that connects Europe and Asia and plays a major role in regional diplomacy and trade, Tinubu approved the appointment of Usman Isa Dakingari Suleiman, a former governor of Kebbi State, a state in north-west Nigeria.
The presidential aide noted that the Turkey posting comes at a time when Tinubu is expected to make a state visit to the country next week, making the appointment relevant to Nigeria’s diplomatic engagement with Ankara, Turkey’s capital.
Onanuga added that the approvals have been formally communicated to Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government body responsible for managing the country’s external relations and diplomatic missions.
He said the President directed the ministry to begin the standard diplomatic process of notifying the governments of the four host countries about the selected envoy nominees, in line with established procedure. In international diplomacy, countries typically request the receiving nation’s consent before an ambassador can take up the assignment.
The postings, the statement explained, are part of the broader list of ambassadorial nominees earlier screened by Nigeria’s National Assembly, with confirmations completed in December 2025.
During that confirmation process, the Senate adopted a report from its Committee on Foreign Affairs, which said the nominees were screened and found suitable for appointment.
The Senate’s approvals covered both career and non-career nominees, including former top government officials and political figures. Those confirmed included Abdulrahman Dambazau, Nigeria’s former Minister of Interior; Ita Enang, a former presidential aide; and Reno Omokri, who previously served as Special Adviser on New Media to Nigeria’s former President, Goodluck Jonathan.
Also on the confirmed list were Mahmood Yakubu, a former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigeria’s electoral management body; Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, a former governor of Enugu State in south-east Nigeria; and Okezie Ikpeazu, a former governor of Abia State, also in south-east Nigeria.
In total, the Senate confirmed 34 career ambassadors and high commissioners and 30 non-career ambassadors and high commissioners, as part of the diplomatic appointments submitted by the presidency.
