President Bola Tinubu has sent a list of 32 ambassador nominees to the Senate for ratification.
Recall that Tinubu previously sent three nominees: Ayodele Oke, Aminu Dalhatu, and Lateef Are.
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that President Tinubu appointed 17 non-career ambassadors and 15 career diplomats.
Non-career ambassadors are Barrister Ogbonnaya Kalu (Abia), Reno Omokri (Delta), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu (Bauchi), and Erelu Bisi Angela Adebayo (Ekiti), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Tasiu Musa Maigari (Katsina), Ambassador Paul Oga Adikwu (Benue), Dr. Victor Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Fatima Florence Ajimobi (Oyo), Lola Akande (Lagos), Grace Bent (Adamawa), Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (Ondo), Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu (Anambra), Yakubu N. Gambo (Plateau), Prof. Nora Ladi Daduut (Plateau), Otunba Femi Pedro (Lagos), and Chief Femi Fani-Kayode (Osun).
Career ambassadors are Enebechi Monica Okwuchukwu (Abia), Yakubu Nyaku Danladi (Taraba), Miamuna Ibrahim Besto (Adamawa), Musa Musa Abubakar (Kebbi), Syndoph Paebi Endoni (Bayelsa), Chima Geoffrey Lioma David (Ebonyi), Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim (Ogun), Abimbola Samuel Reuben (Ondo), Yvonne Ehinosen Odumah (Edo), Hamza Mohammed Salau (Niger), Ambassador Shehu Barde (Katsina), Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno), Ambassador Muhammad Saidu Dahiru (Kaduna), Ambassador Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari (Kwara), and Ambassador Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).
The nominees are anticipated to serve in strategic countries such as China, India, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as international missions such as the United Nations and the African Union.
The nomination attracted considerable criticism from netizens, including renowned Nigerians such as Ambassador Joe Keshi, who questioned the veracity of some of the names on the list.
They alleged that the nominees’ list is populated with former governors, senators, and former governors’ wives, accusing President Tinubu of exploiting it for political settlement rather than national growth, and urged him to consider career diplomats.
They also accused President Tinubu of appointing Yakubu Mahmud, the former INEC chairman, as a non-career ambassador in order to repay a suspected debt for ensuring his victory in the 2023 presidential election.
However, two harsh critics of President Bola Tinubu, Reno Omokri and Femi Fani Kayode, were nominated as non-career ambassadors and career ambassadors, respectively.
RENO OMOKRI
Reno Omokri, a former Goodluck Jonathan spokesperson, was among Bola Tinubu’s harshest detractors prior to his victory in the 2023 presidential election.
He dubbed Tinubu a “known drug lord,” questioned his eligibility for government, and even demonstrated outside Chatham House in London, calling him a “drug baron.”
He also expressed concern about Tinubu’s age, lineage, and claimed role in the #LekkiMassacre.
In an interview, Omokri stated that he would never work with Tinubu because it would violate his morals.
Biography
He was born on January 22, 1974
He is a native of Warri, Delta State
He is the son of Justice Jean Omokri, a Court of Appeal judge, and Helen Bemigho, a civil servant
He studied law at the University of Calabar, was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2001, and later earned a Master of Laws (LL.M) from the University of Wolverhampton, England, in 2004
He served as Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan (2010-2015), pioneering social media engagement for government programs
He served as vice president (Africa) at Joe Trippi and Associates, a U.S.-based political consulting firm
He founded the Mind of Christ Christian Center
He is a bestselling author, writing on leadership, personal development, and social issues
He is married to Tuokpe Omokri, with three children
FEMI FANI-KAYODE
Femi Fani-Kayode was a vocal opponent of President Bola Tinubu.
He lambasted Tinubu, labeling him “heartless, cold-blooded, and wicked” for his response to the EndSARS demonstration.
He also chastised Tinubu, claiming that his statement about being “still the Asiwaju of Lagos and Jagaban” was inappropriate.
He slammed Tinubu for his comments on the Oduduwa Republic, alleging that he does not represent the majority of Yorubas and would be “flushed down the toilet” if a self-determination referendum were held in the Southwest.
He also lashed Bakare for defending Tinubu, accusing him of “desecrating the pulpit” and being a sycophant.
Biography
He was born on October 16, 1960
He is a native of Ile-Ife, Osun State
He attended prestigious schools in the UK, including Brighton College, Harrow School, and Kelly College
He earned his LL.B. from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (1983) and later pursued an LL.M. at Cambridge University (Pembroke College)
He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1985.He joined the Nigerian National Congress (NNC) in 1989 and served as its national youth leader
He was Chief Press Secretary to Chief Tom Ikimi and Special Assistant to Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi
Under President Olusegun Obasanjo, he was Special Assistant on Public Affairs (2003-2006), Minister of Culture and Tourism (June-Nov 2006), and Minister of Aviation (Nov 2006-May 2007)
He’s a Pentecostal Christian
He studied theology at Christian Action Faith Bible Seminary in Ghana (1995)
His father was Chief Remi Fani-Kayode, a former Deputy Premier of Western Nigeria, and grandson of Rev. Emmanuel Adedapo Kayode
He has been married four times and has eight children.
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