President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the posting of Kayode Are, former director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS), as Nigeria’s ambassador-designate to the United States.
Gatekeepers News reports that Are, an Ogun State indigene, was among four nominees confirmed in a statement issued on Thursday by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga.
Ayodele Oke was assigned to France, Aminu Dalhatu, former ambassador to South Korea, was named high commissioner-designate to the United Kingdom, while Usman Dakingari, ex-governor of Kebbi, is set to serve as ambassador-designate to Turkey. Tinubu is scheduled for a state visit to Turkey next week.
“In a memo to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Tinubu directed that the governments of the four countries be formally notified of the ambassador-designates, following diplomatic protocols,” the statement read.
Oke, Are, and Dalhatu were confirmed as non-career ambassadors last month. Senator Sani Bello, chairman of the Senate committee on foreign affairs, said the nominees underwent rigorous screening and were deemed qualified for their diplomatic roles.
The four form the first group of ambassadorial nominees recommended by Tinubu to the Senate in November, after nearly two years of vacancies at key missions abroad. Later that month, the president forwarded 32 additional nominees, including Reno Omokri, Mahmood Yakubu, Femi Fani-Kayode, and Fatima Florence Ajimobi.
By December, 64 ambassadorial nominees were confirmed, bringing the total to 67, comprising 34 career diplomats and 33 non-career appointees. Career ambassadors rise through the ranks of the foreign service, while non-career ambassadors are political appointees chosen for expertise, experience, or loyalty.
Onanuga noted that the confirmed nominees would be posted to countries with strategic bilateral ties to Nigeria—including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the UAE, Qatar, South Africa, and Kenya—as well as permanent missions to the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union.
