The Senate on Thursday confirmed former minister Femi Fani-Kayode, former presidential aide Reno Omokri, former First Lady of Oyo Florence Ajimobi and 61 others nominated for appointment as ambassadors by President Bola Tinubu.
The confirmation followed the presentation and consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs during plenary.
In all, 64 nominees were confirmed, comprising 34 career ambassadors and 30 non career ambassadors.
Presenting the report, the committee chairman, Sani Bello, said the nominees demonstrated wide knowledge of international diplomacy during their screening.
Those confirmed as career ambassadors include Nwaobiala Chukwuemeka from Abia, Betso Ibrahim from Adamawa, Monica Enebechi from Anambra, Mohammed Lele from Bauchi and Syndoph Endoni from Bayelsa.
Others are Ahmed Monguno from Borno, Adams Bassey from Cross River, Clark Efe from Delta, Goeffrey David from Ebonyi, Odumah Ehinosen from Edo, Wasa Ige from Edo and Adeyemi Emmanuel from Ekiti.
Also confirmed were Okechukwu Onaga from Enugu, Magaji Umar from Jigawa, Muhammad Dahiru from Kaduna, Abdussalam Zayyad from Kano, Shehu Ilu Barde and Aminu Nasir from Katsina, Abubakar Musa and Haidara Idris from Kebbi, Bako Umar from Kogi and Sulu Ahmed from Kwara.
Others include Ramat Omobolanle from Lagos, Shaga Shamah from Nasarawa, Sallau Mohammed and Ibrahim Danlami from Niger, Adeola Mopelola from Ogun, Reuben Samuel from Ondo and Akande Adekola from Osun.
Also on the list were Arewa Esther from Oyo, Gargadi John from Plateau, Luther Kalata from Rivers, Danladi Nyaku from Taraba and Bello Haliru from Sokoto.
The non career ambassadors confirmed include Grace Bent from Adamawa, Ita Enang from Akwa Ibom, Okezie Ikpeazu from Abia, Nkechi Ufochukwu from Anambra, Mahmud Yakubu from Bauchi, Philip Ikurusi from Bayelsa, Paul Adikwu from Benue, Ibok Ette Ibas from Cross River, Reno Omokri from Delta and Abasi Braimah from Edo.
Others are Erelu Adebayo and Olumilua Ayotunwa from Ekiti, Ugwuanyi Ifeanyi from Enugu, Chioma Ohaikim from Imo, Abdulrahman Dambazau from Kano, Tasiu Maigari from Katsina, Abubakar Aliyu from Kogi, Olufemi Pedro from Lagos, Muhammed Aliyu from Nasarawa, Jimoh Ibrahim from Ondo and Joseph Iji from Ondo.
Also confirmed were Femi Fani-Kayode and Isaac Adewole from Osun, Florence Ajimobi and Sulola Akande from Oyo, Yakubu Gambo and Nora Daduut from Plateau, Onueze Okocha from Rivers, Kulu Abubakar from Sokoto and Jerrymon Manwe from Taraba.
During the session, Sahabi Yau, senator representing Zamfara North, raised a constitutional point of order, citing sections 14(3) and 15(4) of the 1999 Constitution, which provide for the federal character principle and national unity.
While commending the president and the Senate for the confirmations, Yau expressed concern that Zamfara State was not represented among the nominees.
He described this as an oversight and urged that the state be considered in future nominations.
Responding, Senate President Godswill Akpabio upheld the point of order and said the list before the Senate was not exhaustive.
He said Nigeria has several diplomatic missions, including resident and non resident postings and that more nominations would be sent to the Senate.
Senator Akpabio assured that no state would be excluded and reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to the federal character principle.
He urged the newly confirmed ambassadors to serve the country diligently and project Nigeria positively abroad.
President Tinubu’s letter requesting the confirmation of the ambassadors was read on the Senate floor on December 4.
