Former federal lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani; ex-presidential aide, Reno Omokri; and former governors of Abia and Enugu States, Okezie Ikpeazu and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, are reportedly among those nominated for ambassadorial appointments by the Nigerian government.
Fola Adeola, founder of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc; Femi Pedro; and Femi Fani-Kayode are also reportedly on the list.
It was learnt that the nominees are currently being screened by the Department of State Services (DSS), and the final list will be made public soon.
According to Vanguard, one of the appointees confirmed his nomination on the condition of anonymity on Sunday.
On why the names of the appointees had not been released, an official from the presidency told the newspaper anonymously that, “When those appointed have cleared security checks, we will release the list.
“Only those who have been cleared are announced. The process is ongoing. I know we should have a list before the end of this month.”
LEADING REPORTERS recalls that the country’s ambassadors were recalled from their postings last year without replacement.
However, President Bola Tinubu’s media aide, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, who earlier spoke about the delays, noted that nominations for ambassadorial roles must be thorough before a final list is transmitted to the National Assembly.