President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday inducted the newly appointed ambassadors, charges them to fight hard, and protect Nigerians living abroad.
The President who joined the event virtually urged the appointees to go out and represent the nation with utmost dedication and pride.
He said the Federal Government has identified nine priority areas to guide its foreign policy- cutting across health, corruption, transportation, security, education among others, urging the ambassadors to be guided also by these.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema on his part commended the President’s effort at fostering peace and a good bilateral relationship with the international community, which according to him cuts across security and trade.
He said the relationship has also seen Nigeria receiving money looted from the country.
Mr. Onyema added that Nigeria is on good terms with every country in the world, with no exception.
He said President Buhari has leveraged on the goodwill of his foreign policy to secure the re-election of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala among other Nigerians holding key positions in international organisations.
The newly appointed ambassadors are 94, eight Consul Generals, and five Charge D’ Affairs.
43 of them are career ambassadors while 53 others are political ambassadors.
The appointment follows the approval of the envoys by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed this in a statement by its Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Gabriel Aduda.
While Aduda did not state when the President gave the approval, he noted that those to be posted included 43 career ambassadors and 52 non-career ambassadors.
He said following the development, the government has already commenced the process of requesting Agrément from the prospective host countries.
The permanent secretary revealed that the ministry would organise an induction course for the ambassadors-designate and their spouses.
He explained that the event which would hold on a date to be announced soon was to prepare and facilitate the movement of the ambassadors-designate to their respective missions.
This comes about nine months after President Buhari nominated 42 career ambassadors-designate to the Senate for confirmation.
In a letter dated May 6, 2020, the President informed the lawmakers that his request was in accordance with section 171 (1),(2)(c), and subsection (4) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.
“I have the honour to forward for confirmation by the Senate, the under-listed forty-two (42) names of nominees as Career Ambassadors-Designate,” he had said in the letter.
The ambassadors-designate who were nominated included C.O Nwachukwu; A. Kafas, R. U. Brown, G. A. Odudigbo, O. C. Onowu, Y. S. Suleiman, E. S. Agbana, B. B. M. Okoyen, G. M. Okoko, A. M. Garba, M. l. Bashir, M. O. Abam, A. E. Allotey, G. E. Edokpa, and A. N. Madubuike.
Others are Adamu Lamuwa, Innocent lwejuo, M. S. Abubakar, Y. A. Ahmed, S. D. Umar, A. Sule, G. Y. Hamza, N. Rimi, L S. Ahmed-Remawa, M. Manu, l. R. Ocheni, l. A. Yusuf, M. Abdulraheem, W. A. Adedeji, and A. U. Ogah.
Also among the ambassadors-designate are A. A. Musa, N. A. Kolo, S. O. Olaniyan, A. R. Adejola, E. Awe, O. Aluko, I. A. Alatishe, V. A. Adeleke, M. S. Adamu, l. N. Charles, Z M. lfu, and B. B. Hamman.
In another letter dated July 1, 2020, the President asked the Senate to confirm one career ambassador-designate and 39 non-career ambassadors-designate.
