President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has transmitted a new batch of non-career ambassadorial nominees to the Senate, seeking their prompt confirmation to fill key diplomatic positions.

The nominees include Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, former Chief of Naval Staff and immediate past Sole Administrator of Rivers State; Abdulrahman Dambazau, former Minister of Interior and ex–Chief of Army Staff; Ita Enang, former presidential aide and ex-lawmaker; and Chioma Ohakim, former First Lady of Imo State.

Their names were contained in a letter read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during Thursday’s plenary. The fresh nominees were not part of the initial list earlier forwarded to the upper chamber.

In the letter, President Tinubu appealed to the Senate for accelerated screening to ensure Nigeria’s foreign missions are adequately staffed.

Akpabio subsequently referred the list to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs with a one-week deadline to conclude its screening and report back to the chamber.

The new list comes after the president had earlier nominated Reno Omokri, Femi Fani-Kayode and former INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu as non-career ambassadors.