Senate begins screening of Tinubu’s ambassadorial nominees

The Senate in session. Photo Credit: Senate

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The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday began the screening of three ambassadorial nominees forwarded to the upper chamber by President Bola Tinubu.

The nominees, Kayode Are (Ogun State), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa State), and Ayodele Oke (Oyo State), were earlier transmitted to the Senate in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary last week.

PUNCH Online reports that the three-man list was released ahead of 32 additional names from the President.

Their appearance before the committee, chaired by former Niger State Governor, Senator Sani Bello, marked the beginning of their legislative vetting.

After the closed-door interaction, the committee said its report would be submitted soon for debate and possible confirmation at plenary.

During the screening, Bello told his colleagues that Oke had addressed and cleared allegations previously raised against him.

Last week’s transmission of Tinubu’s first set of ambassadorial nominees ended a two-year leadership vacuum in Nigeria’s foreign missions, a situation that had drawn persistent criticism from diplomats, foreign policy experts, and lawmakers.

Akpabio, while reading the President’s letter, noted that the list was only the first batch.

“The list contains three names for now. I am sure others will follow,” he told senators.

Tinubu had, in September 2023, ordered the recall of all ambassadors, both career and non-career, citing the need for a complete overhaul of Nigeria’s diplomatic service.

But no replacements were immediately named, leaving embassies to be run by charge d’affaires, career officials who lack the full diplomatic weight and political access granted to substantive ambassadors by host countries.

In April, Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, revealed that a list of potential nominees had been awaiting the President’s approval for more than a year, attributing the delay to policy disruptions from the removal of petrol subsidy and the floatation of the naira.

Despite these explanations, critics continued to question why an administration aggressively pursuing foreign investment, trade partnerships, and global security cooperation would leave its embassies without substantive heads.

The PUNCH journalist, Adebayo, has over 20 years of experience covering politics, health, metro, entertainment and properties

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