The Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs on Wednesday continued its screening of ambassadorial nominees forwarded to the National Assembly by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for confirmation.
Chaired by Senator Sani Bello, the committee assessed several career and non-career diplomats, including former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.); Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (Ondo South); Ahmed Sulu-Gambari; Maimuna Besto; Monica Enebechi; Ahmed Monguno; Kingsley Onaga; Magaji Umar; and Aminu Nasir.
Senator Ibrahim, a serving lawmaker and businessman, appeared before the panel to present his Curriculum Vitae. In line with Senate tradition for current and former lawmakers, he was asked to “take a bow,” a gesture that drew applause from colleagues.
President Tinubu had earlier submitted 65 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate, urging lawmakers to expedite their confirmation pursuant to Section 171 (1), (2), and (4) of the 1999 Constitution.
The list comprised seasoned career diplomats such as Sulu-Gambari Olatunji Ahmed (Kwara), Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno), and Maimuna Ibrahim (Adamawa), as well as notable non-career nominees including former presidential aide Ita Enang, former Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), and former Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazzau (rtd.).
Senate President Godswill Akpabio had earlier referred the nominations to the Foreign Affairs Committee, mandating it to conclude its assignment within one week.
Wednesday’s session formed the second phase of the exercise. The first batch of nominees included Kayode Are (Ogun), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa), and Ayodele Oke (Oyo), with Oke addressing longstanding allegations during his appearance.
