Three top public officials have been nominated as Ambassadors by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
They are the first set of individuals to be tipped to lead Nigeria’s Missions abroad by the Tinubu’s administration.
Those recommended for screening and clearance by the Senate are: Ambassadors Ayodele Oke and Amin Mohammed Dalhatu. Also on the list is former Head of the Secret Service, Lateef Kayode Are.
The President nominated the three seasoned security and diplomatic figures to represent Nigeria in the United States (U.S.); the United Kingdom (UK) and France, a post by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said yesterday.
Ambassador Dalhatu, one of the nominees, previously served as Nigeria’s Ambassador to South Korea duringr the administration the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
Dalhatu, who was appointed in 2016, completed a tenure marked by strengthened bilateral cooperation between Abuja and Seoul.
Ambassador Oke, a graduate of Emory University in Atlanta, served as Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).
He earlier represented Nigeria at the Secretariat of the Commonwealth of Nations in London and is widely regarded for his extensive diplomatic and intelligence background.
A technical committee rated him the best among those considered for ministerial posting during the Buhari Administration. The committee considered his impeccable pedigree on international relations.
But before the name was announced, a former Oyo State governor rushed to the Presidency and engineered the removal of his name and replaced it with his own stooge.
Col. Are will be bringing decades of national security experience to the diplomatic corps, having served as Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS) from 1999 to 2007 and later as National Security Adviser (NSA) in 2010.
The former officer in the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI), graduated with First Class Honours in Psychology from the University of Ibadan in 1980.
The three nominees are expected to play strategic roles in strengthening Nigeria’s diplomatic presence in key global capitals once their postings have been finalised after Senate confirmation.
The Nation