By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
NEED TO fill vacant diplomatic positions intensified as the Senate received a fresh list of ambassadorial nominees from President Bola Tinubu, signalling a significant expansion of Nigeria’s pending overseas appointments.
The transmission added new names to an earlier batch, widening the slate of nominees and setting the stage for another round of legislative scrutiny.
President Tinubu’s action centred on the request for confirmation, which Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced during Thursday’s plenary after reading the formal communication from the presidency.
According to the correspondence presented by Akpabio, President Bola Tinubu had increased the total number of ambassador-nominees to sixty-five, added to Kayode Are, Aminu Dalhatu, Ayodele Oke who had already been screened and confirmed earlier.
Akpabio said the list contained thirty-four career ambassadors and high commissioners alongside thirty-one non-career ambassadors and high commissioners.
He also informed the chamber that the request formed part of the president’s appeal for expedited consideration, which the letter said was intended “to ensure that key diplomatic vacancies are promptly filled,” adding that the development marked a notable shift from the presidency’s earlier announcement, which referenced thirty-two ambassador-nominees.
He said the new transmission superseded that smaller batch and introduced additional nominees not included in the initial release.
Among those highlighted in the newly expanded list, the Senate President referenced individuals drawn from various states, including Senator Ita Enang from Akwa Ibom, Senator Folasade Grace Bent from Adamawa, and Segun Ige from Edo.
He also noted that the updated list included immediate past Rivers State sole administrator Ibok-Ete Ibas and former Minister of Interior Abdulrahman Dambazau as non-career ambassadorial nominees.
Further names cited in the communication included ex-Imo State First Lady Chioma Ohakim and other nominees positioned for potential overseas postings.
Again, the nomination of Ita Enang was mentioned in the extended list conveyed through the president’s message, reflecting his previous tenure in the Senate between 2011 and 2015.
The letter also recorded the nomination of Sulu-Gambari Olatunde Ahmed from Kwara State and Segun Ige from Edo State among the career ambassadorial candidates.
Akpabio informed the chamber that the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs had received instructions to undertake the screening of the sixty-five new nominees and submit its report within one week.
He said the directive formed part of the procedural steps required before the Senate’s confirmation stage and added that the committee had previously screened and confirmed three ambassadorial candidates earlier forwarded for approval.
Those nominees were Kayode Are from Ogun State, Aminu Dalhatu from Jigawa State, and Ayodele Oke from Oyo State. Akpabio stated that the earlier confirmations had been completed by the committee.
However, the newly forwarded list drew attention because it represented a broader attempt to populate the nation’s diplomatic missions.
The expanded figures, as stated in the release, indicated that thirty-four of the nominees emerged from the career diplomatic service, while thirty-one were designated as non-career ambassadors and high commissioners.
