President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the deployment of four ambassador-designates to key foreign missions, marking another step in the implementation of his administration’s diplomatic agenda.
The approval was announced in a State House press statement released on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. The newly posted envoys are drawn from the list of 68 ambassadorial nominees earlier confirmed by the Senate in December.
France, United States, United Kingdom Confirmed
According to the statement, Ambassador Ayodele Oke has been confirmed as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to France. In the same vein, President Tinubu approved the posting of Colonel Lateef Are as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to the United States of America.
Additionally, Ambassador Aminu Dalhatu, who previously served as Nigeria’s ambassador to South Korea, has been named the High Commissioner-designate to the United Kingdom.
Former Kebbi Governor Posted to Turkey
The President also approved the appointment of Usman Isa Dakingari Suleiman, a former governor of Kebbi State, as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to Turkey. The posting comes ahead of President Tinubu’s scheduled state visit to Turkey next week, underscoring the strategic importance of the diplomatic relationship between both countries.
In a directive to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Tinubu instructed the ministry to formally notify the governments of the four countries of the appointments, in line with established diplomatic conventions and procedures.
It will be recalled that some of the ambassadorial nominees had previously attracted criticism and opposition from sections of the Nigerian public. However, despite the concerns raised, all the nominees successfully passed the screening process and were confirmed by the Senate.
The latest postings signal the administration’s intention to strengthen Nigeria’s diplomatic presence and engagement with major global partners.
Nigeria’s reported decision to deploy former National Intelligence Agency (NIA) Director-General Emmanuel Ayodele Oke, on a top European posting to France has reignited a controversy many assumed had faded.
Mr Oke’s name appeared among non-career ambassadorial nominees confirmed by the Senate, amid lingering public objections tied to the 2017 Ikoyi cash discovery linked to a private flat at Osborne Towers: about $43 million in cash, alongside £27,000 and ₦23 million.
Although the EFCC later withdrew its corruption, money-laundering case and the court struck it out, the episode remains politically toxic: withdrawal is not the same as a judicial acquittal, especially as Ayo Oke was suspended & later dismissed from the civil service and NIA forfeiting the loot found in his possession and the optics of such sums—whatever the official explanation—continue to shape credibility in the court of public opinion.
Diplomatically, the problem is not only Nigeria’s internal debate.
Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a receiving state may, at any time, declare a diplomat persona non grata and require recall—without giving reasons. That power, combined with intense media scrutiny and civil-society pressure common across Europe and many G7 democracies, makes reputational baggage a live operational risk.
United Nations Legal Affairs.
Advocacy groups say fresh petitions are being prepared to brief host authorities and the public.
If the controversy gains traction abroad, Nigeria could face avoidable embarrassment: in diplomacy, credibility is currency, and once lost, it is rarely recovered quietly.
Headlinenews.news Special report.
