President Bola Tinubu has sent the names of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the senate for confirmation.
According to statement from his media office, among those nominated are:
- Reno Omokri, former presidential aide
- Mahmoud Yakubu, former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
- Angela Adebayo, former Ekiti first lady
- Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, former Enugu governor
- Femi Pedro, a former deputy governor of Lagos State
- Femi Fani-Kayode, former aviation minister
- Fatima Florence Ajimobi, former Oyo first lady
- Grace Bent, former senator
- Victor Okezie Ikpeazu, former governor of Abia,
- Jimoh Ibrahim, senator from Ondo state
- Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia, former presidential aide
- Tasiu Musa Maigari, former speaker of the Katsina house of assembly
- Yakubu N. Gambo, former commissioner in Plateau state
- Nora Ladi Daduut, former senator from Plateau state
- Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu
- Lola Akande, former commissioner in Lagos state
- Paul Oga Adikwu, former ambassador to the Holy See
- Enebechi Monica Okwuchukwu
- Yakubu Nyaku Danladi
- Miamuna Ibrahim Besto
- Musa Musa Abubakar
- Syndoph Paebi Endoni
- Chima Geoffrey Lioma David
- Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim
- Abimbola Samuel Reuben
- Yvonne Ehinosen Odumah
- Hamza Mohammed Salau
- Shehu Barde
- Ahmed Mohammed Monguno
- Muhammad Saidu Dahiru
- Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari
- Wahab Adekola Akande
According to Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesman, the new nominees are expected to be posted to countries with which Nigeria maintains excellent and strategic bilateral relations, such as China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, Kenya, and to permanent missions such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union.
They will know their diplomatic assignments after senate confirmation.
Last week, Tinubu sent the names of three ambassadorial nominees — Ayodele Oke, Amin Mohammed Dalhatu and Kayode Are — for senate confirmation.
They are in the pot for posting to the UK, the US, and France.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
