Tinubu ambassadors list: 65 envoys appointed to key posts

By: Abudu Olalekan

President Bola Tinubu just rolled out a fresh squad of diplomats. Sixty‑five names, sixty‑five countries, a whole new diplomatic roster for Nigeria. The news landed on a Friday that felt like any other in Abuja—traffic jam, hawkers shouting, a few bored journalists scrolling on their phones. Yet the announcement carried a weight that cut through the usual hum.

Bayo Onanuga, the President’s special adviser on information and strategy, stepped up at a press briefing and said the list was finally ready. “We’ve got 31 non‑career and 34 career ambassadors,” he told the reporters, his voice a mix of pride and relief. He didn’t hide the fact that the Senate had already given the green light back in December 2025, after a long‑winded screening by the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs got the instruction to start an induction programme right away. The envoys will only take up their posts after the host countries give their agrément. Some of that paper already came in— the United Kingdom and France have already said “yes” to two of the appointees. The rest are waiting, and the ministry is buzzing with paperwork.

What makes this rollout interesting isn’t just the numbers. It’s the mix of politicians, military men, lawyers and even a pop‑culture figure. You’ve got senators turned diplomats, a vice‑admiral, a former TV host, and a few seasoned career diplomats. It feels like a reality‑show casting, but the stakes are real—people’s lives, trade deals, security ties.

Below is the full rundown of who’s going where. The list is long, but each name carries a story of its own.

NON‑CAREER AMBASSADORS

1. Senator Grace Bent – Togo (Lomé)
2. Senator Ita Enang – South Africa
3. Ikpeazu Victor – Spain
4. Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu – Israel (Tel Aviv)
5. Mahmud Yakubu – Qatar
6. Paul Oga Adikwu – Vatican City Holy See
7. Vice Admiral Ibok‑Ete Ekwe Ibas – Philippines
8. Reno Omokri – Mexico
9. Engr. Abasi Braimah – Hungary (Budapest)
10. Mrs. Erelu Angela Adebayo – Portugal
11. Barr. Oluwayimika Ayotunwa – Japan (Tokyo)
12. Ifeanyi Lawrence Ugwuanyi – Greece (Athens)
13. Barr. Chioma Priscilla Ohakim – Poland (Warsaw)
14. Aminu Dalhatu – United Kingdom (High Commissioner)
15. Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau – China (Beijing)
16. Hon. Tasiu Musa Maigari – Gambia
17. Olufemi Pedro – Australia
18. Barr. Muhammed Ubandoma Aliyu – Argentina
19. Lateef Kayode Are – United States
20. Amb. Joseph Sola Iji – Russia
21. Senator Jimoh Ibrahim – United Nations (Permanent Representative)
22. Femi Fani‑Kayode – Germany
23. Prof. Isaac Folorunso Adewole – Canada (Ottawa)
24. Fatima Florence Ajimobi – Austria
25. Mrs. Lola Akande – Sweden
26. Ayodele Oke – France
27. Yakubu N. Gambo – Saudi Arabia
28. Senator Prof. Nora Ladi Daduut – South Korea (Seoul)
29. Barr. Joe‑Kyari Okocha, SAN – Ireland (Dublin)
30. Dr. Kulu Haruna Abubakar – Tunisia (Tunis)
31. Hon. Jerry Samuel Manwe – Trinidad and Tobago (Port of Spain)

CAREER AMBASSADORS

32. Ambassador Nwabiola Ezenwa Chukwumeka – Côte d’Ivoire
33. Besto Maimuna Ibrahim – Niger (Niamey)
34. Monica Okwuchukwu Enebechi – São Tomé and Principe
35. Ambassador Mohammed Mahmud Lele – Algeria (Algiers)
36. Endoni Syndoph Paebi – Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou)
37. Ahmed Mohammed Monguno – Egypt (Cairo)
38. Ambassador Jane Adams – Jamaica (Kingston)
39. Ambassador Clark‑Omeru Alexandra – Zambia (Lusaka)
40. Chima Geoffrey Lioma David – Mali (Bamako)
41. Ambassador Odumah Yvonne Ehinosen – Equatorial Guinea (Malabo)
42. Ambassador Wasa Segun Ige – Lebanon (Beirut)
43. Ruben Abimbola Samuel – Italy (Rome)
44. Ambassador Onaga Ogechukwu Kingsley – Mozambique (Maputo)
45. Ambassador Magaji Umar – DR Congo (Kinshasa)
46. Ambassador Muhammad Saidu Dahiru – India (New Delhi)
47. Ambassador Abdussalam Habu Zayyad – Senegal (Dakar)
48. Ambassador Shehu Ilu Barde – Ghana (Accra)
49. Ambassador Aminu Nasir – Ethiopia
50. Abubakar Musa – Chad (N’Djamena)
51. Ambassador Haidara Mohammed Idris – Netherlands (The Hague)
52. Ambassador Bako Adamu Umar – Morocco (Rabat)
53. Ambassador Sulu Gambari Olatunji Ahmed – Malaysia
54. Ambassador Romata Mohammed Omobolanle – Tanzania
55. Ambassador Shaga John Shamah – Botswana
56. Hamza Mohammed Salau – Iran (Tehran)
57. Ambassador Ibrahim Danlami – Kenya
58. Ibrahim Adeola Mopelola – Benin (Cotonou)
59. Ambassador Ayeni Adebayo Emmanuel – Belgium (Brussels)
60. Ambassador Akande Wahab Adekola – Switzerland (Berne)
61. Ambassador Arewa Esther – Namibia (Windhoek)
62. Ambassador Gergadi Joseph John – Gabon (Libreville)
63. Ambassador Luther Ogbomode Ayo‑Kalata – Sierra Leone
64. Danladi Yakubu Nyaku – Sudan (Khartoum)
65. Bello Dogon‑Daji Haliru – Thailand (Bangkok)

The rollout isn’t just a bureaucratic shuffle. For many of these communities, it’s a chance to have a voice on the world stage. Some of the appointees have already been welcomed by their host governments—Aminu Dalhatu got the UK’s nod, Ayodele Oke secured France’s.. The rest are waiting on those formal “agrément” letters, the diplomatic equivalent of a “you’re hired” email.

Onanuga mentioned the ministry will start the induction programme “immediately.” That means a flurry of briefings, language crash‑courses, and protocol drills. The envoys will be expected to hit the ground running once the paperwork clears.

It’s a busy time for Lagos’s foreign desk. The new diplomats will have to juggle trade talks, security collaborations, and the ever‑present diaspora concerns. And they’ll do it while navigating Nigeria’s own political currents, which, as anyone who’s watched Lagos traffic knows, can change in a heartbeat.

So, there it is—65 fresh faces, 65 new missions, and a whole lot of hope (and a dash of nervousness) packed into a list that will sit on the Ministry’s wall for years to come.