President Bola Tinubu has advanced a significant round of diplomatic and civil service appointments, submitting a new list of ambassadorial nominees to the Senate and swearing in five new permanent secretaries.
The latest ambassadorial list, read during Thursday’s Senate plenary by President Godswill Akpabio, features several prominent non-career nominees. They include former Chief of Naval Staff, Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas; former Minister of Interior and former Chief of Army Staff, Abdulrahman Dambazau; former presidential aide Ita Enang; and former Imo State First Lady, Chioma Ohakim.
President Tinubu requested the Senate’s “expedited consideration” of the nominees to fill vacant diplomatic posts promptly. The list has been referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, which has one week to conduct screenings and report back.
This submission follows another list of 32 ambassadorial nominees sent to the Senate less than a week prior, which included former INEC Chairman Mahmud Yakubu and former presidential aide Reno Omokri. That list comprised 15 career diplomats and 17 non-career appointees, such as former governors, ministers, and first ladies.
According to a statement from Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga, confirmed nominees are expected to be posted to key partner nations, including China, India, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates, or to permanent missions at the UN, UNESCO, and the African Union.
In a separate ceremony on Wednesday, President Tinubu swore in five new permanent secretaries and the Chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC). The newly sworn-in permanent secretaries are Dr. John Chidiebere Ezeamama (Imo), Ibrahim Abdulkarim Ozi (Nasarawa), Dr. Abdul Sule Usman Garba (North Central), Dr. Ishiyaku Musa Mohammed (North East), and Dr. Binyerem Chigbonwu Ukaire (South East).
The NPC Chairman, Dr. Aminu Yusuf, 65, took the oath of office alongside two board members, Dr. Joseph Haruna Kigbu and Tonga Betara Bulatafa. Dr. Yusuf holds a doctorate in International Relations from Nasarawa State University, Keffi.
The new permanent secretaries bring decades of civil service experience. Dr. Ezeamama, 54, is a medical doctor with training in the UK and South Africa. Ibrahim Ozi, 57, is an accountant who rose to director level in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation. Dr. Garba, 56, is a fellow of the West African College of Surgeons and an alumnus of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies. Dr. Mohammed, 57, is a veterinarian with a master’s in public health, and Dr. Ukaire represents the South East zone.
Leave a comment