By Muhammad Mamman
In a significant development at the National Assembly on Thursday, the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs has approved the ambassadorial nominations of two high-profile former ministers, Femi Fani-Kayode and Abdulrahman Dambazau, as part of the administration’s broader diplomatic appointments.
The committee’s decision clears the way for both nominees to be formally presented to the full Senate for confirmation as Nigeria’s envoys abroad. Fani-Kayode, who previously served as Minister of Aviation, and Dambazau, a former Minister of Interior and Chief of Army Staff, were among a larger group of ambassadorial nominees forwarded to the Senate by President Bola Tinubu in recent weeks.
During Thursday’s sitting, the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs assessed the credentials and public service records of the two seasoned political figures and determined they met the statutory requirements for ambassadorial designation. Their clearance marks a major step forward in Nigeria’s efforts to fill numerous diplomatic postings that have remained vacant following the recall of foreign envoys earlier in the Tinubu administration.
The broader ambassadorial list submitted by the presidency includes dozens of career diplomats and non-career appointees representing all six geopolitical zones, reflecting an ambitious drive to strengthen Nigeria’s global diplomatic footprint. Once confirmed by the Senate, the new ambassadors-designate are expected to be deployed to key capitals and multilateral postings worldwide.
The committee’s endorsement of Fani-Kayode and Dambazau signals bipartisan support within the National Assembly for the president’s nominations, though some civil society groups have previously raised concerns about the inclusion of certain high-profile political figures in the ambassadorial list.
The full Senate is expected to consider the committee’s report and vote on the confirmations in the coming days as part of its legislative agenda.
