Abuja – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated three non‑career ambassadors to represent Nigeria in the United States, the United Kingdom and France. The nominees are Ambassador Ayodele Oke, Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are and Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu. Their appointments will become final after the Senate completes its screening.
A statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the nominations were made in line with the constitutional provisions governing ambassadorial appointments. “President Tinubu has nominated non‑career ambassadors for three countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, and France,” the statement read. “The postings will be finalised following Senate screening.”
Ambassador Ayodele Oke, an alumnus of Emory University in Atlanta, is a former Director‑General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and previously served as Nigeria’s ambassador to the Secretariat of the Commonwealth of Nations in London. His diplomatic experience includes extensive work in intelligence and multilateral affairs.
Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are, who hails from Ogun State, served as Director‑General of the State Security Service (SSS) from 1999 to 2007 and as National Security Adviser in 2010. He was an officer in the Directorate of Military Intelligence and holds a first‑class honours degree in Psychology from the University of Ibadan, graduating in 1980.
Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu, a career diplomat from Jigawa State, was Nigeria’s ambassador to South Korea from 2016 until the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. He brings several years of experience in bilateral relations and international diplomacy.
The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs has been tasked with reviewing the nominees’ credentials and will report its findings within one week. If confirmed, the ambassadors will take up their posts as part of President Tinubu’s effort to strengthen Nigeria’s diplomatic presence abroad.
