President Bola Tinubu has nominated three non-career diplomats to represent Nigeria in the United States, the United Kingdom and France, with their postings subject to approval by the Senate.
The nominees are Ambassador Ayodele Oke, Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are, and Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu.
Ambassador Dalhatu previously served as Nigeria’s ambassador to South Korea, following his appointment in 2016 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Ambassador Ayodele Oke, an Emory University graduate, is a former Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA). He also served as Nigeria’s envoy to the Secretariat of the Commonwealth of Nations in London.
Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are, a renowned intelligence officer, headed the State Security Service (SSS) from 1999 to 2007. He later became National Security Adviser in 2010 and had earlier held key roles in the Directorate of Military Intelligence. Are graduated with a First Class degree in Psychology from the University of Ibadan in 1980.
The Senate is expected to commence screening of the nominees in the coming days before their diplomatic postings are formally confirmed.
