President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded a fresh list of 35 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate, bringing the total number of nominees submitted for screening and confirmation to 65.
The new list includes former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd.), and former Military Administrator of Rivers State and ex-Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), both of whom have been nominated as non-career ambassadors.
Tinubu had earlier transmitted a list of 32 nominees, but the latest submission expands the pool to include a mix of seasoned career diplomats, technocrats, and former senior military officers.
According to the updated breakdown, the full ambassadorial list now comprises 34 career ambassadors and 31 non-career ambassadors, reflecting what the presidency describes as an effort to strengthen Nigeria’s diplomatic representation across strategic global missions.
The letter conveying the nominees, addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, requested the Senate to give the list “expeditious consideration” in line with constitutional provisions.
The Senate is expected to commence the screening process in the coming days, after which those confirmed will be assigned to various countries and multilateral missions as part of a broader restructuring of Nigeria’s foreign service.
The nomination of Dambazau and Ibas—two high-ranking retired military officers—signals the administration’s intention to deploy individuals with deep security and administrative experience to Nigeria’s foreign missions amid evolving regional and global security challenges.