By Ajibola Olaide, JKNewsMedia Reporter
PRESENTATION OF Letters of Credence by Nigeria’s ambassador to the United States (US) took place at the White House in Washington DC, where Kayode Are formally presented his credentials to US President Donald Trump.
JKNewsMedoa.com reports that the ceremony was held on Thursday, May 21 with an honour guard by the armed forces and officers of the State Department and staff of the National Security Council (NSC).
Eleven other ambassadors also presented their Letters to the US President, including ambassadors of South Africa, Chad, Chile, Yemen, Australia and Kyrgyzstan.
President Bola Tinubu approved the posting of Are in January 2026 after his nomination was confirmed by the Senate last December.
About Are
Born in 1955, Kayode Are is a retired Nigerian Army Colonel, intelligence officer and former Director General of the State Security Service, now known as the Department of State Services.
He is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most experienced security operatives, with a career spanning more than three decades in military intelligence and national security administration.
He began his military journey at the Nigerian Defence Academy as a member of Regular Combatant Course 12 and graduated among the top 10 cadets before being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army in December 1974.
In 1980, he earned a First-Class Honours degree in Psychology from the University of Ibadan, graduating as the institution’s best student and receiving the University Senate Prize, Faculty of Social Sciences Prize and Department of Psychology Prize.
He obtained a Master’s Degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos in 1987.
During his military career, he served as an intelligence officer in the Directorate of Military Intelligence and rose to the rank of Colonel before his compulsory retirement from the Nigerian Army in 1993.
Following Nigeria’s return to democratic rule, he was appointed Director General of the State Security Service in May 1999 and served until August 2007, becoming the longest serving DG in the history of the agency.
He also served as Deputy National Security Adviser to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, contributing significantly to national security coordination and intelligence management at the highest levels of government.
A respected intelligence and security expert, Kayode Are is recognised for extensive experience in military and civilian intelligence operations, with over 33 years of combined service in Nigeria’s security architecture.
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