President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated three non-career ambassadors to represent Nigeria in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, with their postings to be confirmed following Senate screening.
The nominees are Ambassador Ayodele Oke, Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are, and Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu—each bringing decades of strategic experience from diplomacy, intelligence, and national security.
Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu previously served as Nigeria’s envoy to South Korea during the Buhari administration, where he was first appointed in 2016. His return to ambassadorial service underscores continued confidence in his diplomatic capability.
Ambassador Ayodele Oke, a graduate of Emory University in Atlanta, is a former Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).
He earlier served as Nigeria’s ambassador to the Secretariat of the Commonwealth of Nations in London, giving him substantial international experience relevant to his new posting.
Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are, a respected intelligence and security expert, was Director General of the State Security Service (SSS) from 1999 to 2007. He later served briefly as National Security Adviser in 2010 and previously worked with the Directorate of Military Intelligence. Are holds a First Class degree in Psychology from the University of Ibadan.
The nominations signal the President’s preference for seasoned strategists to lead Nigeria’s engagements with three of its most important global partners, pending approval by the Senate.
