Published January 18, 2021
Eniola Akinkuotu, Abuja
The President , Major General Muhammadu Buhari ( retd .) , has approved the deployment of a former Minister of State for Defence , Demola Seriki, to Spain as the Nigerian Ambassador while a former Minister of Mines and Steel , Sarafat Ishola , will serve as the High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
Ishola , who is from Ogun State , is also an ally of a former Governor of the state , Senator Ibikunle Amosun .
Also, the Editor -in- Chief of The Guardian , Debo Adesina , will serve as the Ambassador to Togo .
The postings are included in a list sighted by The PUNCH on Sunday . About 11 ambassadors were re -appointed but eight were retained in their current countries of posting while three others were redeployed .
The current Nigerian Ambassador to Ireland , Dr Uzoma Emenike , who is also a career diplomat , was posted to the United States as the ambassador , while M .I. Bashir will serve as deputy ambassador.
In all , there are 52 non -career envoys posted out by the President and 43 career ambassadors based on the confirmed list from the Senate .
According to the list , the eight ambassadors that will remain at their duty posts include : Mohammed Rimi ( United Arab Emirates ) , Jidda Baba ( China ) , Gani Bura ( Lebanon ) , Yusuf Tuggar ( Germany ) , Baba Madugu ( Switzerland ) and Deborah Illiya ( Congo ) .
Ambassador Tijani Muhammmad -Bande will also retain his position as the Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York while Adeyinka Asekun will remain the High Commissioner to Canada.
However, Modupe Irele , who is the current Ambassador to France , will be redeployed to Hungary while Eniola Ajayi , the Ambassador to Hungary is expected to be redeployed to the Netherlands .
For non -career diplomats, Ms Ijeoma Chineyerem will resume as the Ambassador to Ireland, Oma Djebah will be posted to Thailand , Abdulahi Shehu ( Russia) , Haruna Manta ( South Africa ) , Kayode Laro ( France ) , Paul Adikwu ( The Vatican ) , Abubakar Moriki ( Japan ) , Mrs . Opunimi Akinkugbe ( Greece ) and Ali Magashi ( South Korea )
Other postings include M .O . Abam ( Italy) , N .A . Kolo ( Israel) , A . Sule ( India ) , G . Y . Hamza ( Ghana) , A .N . Madubike ( Australia ) and O. C Onowu ( Belgium ) .
The remaining appointees will be expected to serve as deputy ambassadors or heads of mission . They include A . E . Alleboy ( Deputy Ambassador to France ) , G . E. Edokpa ( Deputy Permanent Representative to The UN ) , Ben Okoyen ( Cuba ) , G .M . Okeke ( Deputy Head of Mission to Switzerland ) , S . Sani to London , ( Deputy High Commissioner to UK ) , I. A Iwejuo ( Ethiopia as Deputy Ambassador ) , I. A . Alatishe ( Deputy Ambassador to Russia) and I. R . Ocheni ( Germany ) .
The PUNCH had reported last year how the ambassadorial nominees had been waiting for their postings several months after they had been confirmed by the Senate .
The President , however, approved their postings last week .