By Peter Omopo
President Bola Tinubu has approved the deployment of three ambassador-designates to key diplomatic missions in France, the United States and the United Kingdom.
The approval was disclosed on Thursday in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, who said the postings were drawn from the list of ambassadorial nominees earlier confirmed by the Senate.
According to the statement, Ambassador Emmanuel Ayodele Oke has been appointed as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to France, while Colonel Lateef Kayode Are has been posted to the United States. Ambassador Aminu Dalhatu has been named as the high commissioner-designate to the United Kingdom.
Onanuga said the postings of Ambassador Oke to France and Colonel Are to the United States had been formally confirmed by the President, adding that Dalhatu, a former Nigerian ambassador to South Korea, would represent the country in the UK.
He explained that the approvals had been communicated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with a directive for the ministry to notify the governments of the receiving countries in line with established diplomatic procedures.
“These postings are part of the ambassadorial nominees confirmed by the Senate in December,” Onanuga said.
The presidential spokesman also recalled that an earlier announcement naming a former governor of Kebbi State, Usman Isa Dakingari Suleiman, as ambassador-designate to Turkey was made in error, noting that the posting remains under review.
The Senate had, in December 2025, confirmed a total of 67 ambassadorial nominees forwarded by President Tinubu following the adoption of a report by the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs. The nominees comprised 34 career ambassadors and high commissioners and 30 non-career ambassadors and high commissioners.
Among those confirmed were former Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau; former presidential aide, Ita Enang; former INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu; and former governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State.
