Oyo-born Debo Adesina Deployed to Togo As Buhari Approves Ambassadorial Appointments

Several months after being confirmed by the Senate, President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the postings of 52 non-career envoys and 43 career ambassadors.

In the list which has the postings, sighted by reporters earlier in the week, the President approved the deployment of Oyo-born former Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian, Debo Adesina to Togo where he will serve as an ambassador.

Also, a former Minister of State for Defence, Demola Seriki, was deployed 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.

In all, 11 ambassadors were re-appointed, but eight were retained in their current countries of posting while three others were redeployed.

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.

The current Nigerian Ambassador to Ireland, Dr Uzoma Emenike, who is a career diplomat, was posted to the United States as the ambassador, while M.I. Bashir will serve as deputy ambassador.

Others include non-career diplomats and 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).