Tinubu Approves Posting of 4 Ambassador-Designates to US, France, UK and Turkey
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the posting of four ambassador-designates to key global capitals, the presidency announced on Thursday, as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s diplomatic engagements abroad.
In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the appointments were drawn from the list of 68 ambassadorial nominees earlier confirmed by the Senate in December 2025.
Under the new diplomatic deployments:
- Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (rtd) will serve as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to the United States of America, one of the country’s most strategically important missions.
- Ambassador Ayodele Oke, a former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, has been appointed ambassador-designate to France.
- Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu, who previously served as Nigeria’s envoy to South Korea, has been named high commissioner-designate to the United Kingdom.
- Usman Isa Dakingari Suleiman, the former governor of Kebbi State, is the ambassador-designate to Turkey, a posting that comes ahead of a planned state visit by President Tinubu to that country next week.
In a memo to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Tinubu instructed that the incoming ambassadors be formally communicated to the governments of the four host countries in line with diplomatic procedures.
The appointments mark the first tranche of postings since the Senate cleared the bulk of ambassadorial nominees late last year, ending a prolonged delay in filling Nigerian missions abroad. More ambassadorial postings are expected to follow in phases as part of efforts to reinforce Nigeria’s foreign policy outreach.
Officials say the newly appointed diplomats are expected to present their letters of credence and assume duties shortly, as Nigeria seeks to deepen bilateral relations on trade, security, investment and cultural ties with their host nations.