Ayodele Oke, one of President Tinubu’s three nominated ambassadors, was once the subject of an arrest warrant and declared wanted after he was accused of stealing $43 million, £28,000 and N23 million in public funds.
On Wednesday, the Nigeria Senate announced that it had received a three-man list of ambassadorial nominees from President Bola Tinubu.
While making the announcement, Senate President Godswill Akpabio stated that Tinubu had sent the list containing the names of the nominees to the upper legislative house for confirmation.
The nominees are Kayode Are, a former director general of the Department of State Services (DSS), Aminu Dalhatu, a former Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Jigawa State chapter, and Ayodele Oke, a former director general of Nigeria’s National Intelligence Agency (NIA).
“The list contains three names for now, I am sure others will follow,” said Akpabio at the plenary.
Since becoming Nigeria’s president in May 2023, Tinubu has not appointed any ambassador to serve in his government.
This has led to many criticisms, with a concerned party recently predicting that the government’s inaction in appointing ambassadors could fetch Nigeria disastrous consequences.
Also, after President Donald Trump of the United States blacklisted Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, many blamed this action on the non-appointment of ambassadors who could have engaged in high-level diplomacy with the US on Nigeria’s behalf.
Two of Tinubu’s three ambassadors-designate have interesting backgrounds.
KAYODE ARE
Kayode Are is a retired Nigerian Army colonel who was once the director general of the Department of State Service (DSS) from 1999 to 2007.
After his time at the DSS, he briefly served as Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA) from September 18 to October 4, 2010.
On December 2, 2015, some DSS operatives stormed Are’s home, ejecting his family and throwing out his properties. The operatives pulled down the doors of the house and chased his family away without giving them time to take their belongings.
Are was ejected from the house after Lawan Daura assumed office as DSS Director General.
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos later ordered the DSS to reinstate Are to his home.
AYODELE OKE
On February 7, 2019, a Federal High Court in Lagos issued a warrant for the arrest of Ayodele Oke, who was a former director general of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and Folasade, his wife.
The order was issued following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Just before they were due to appear in court on fraud charges, Oke and his wife left the country for “medical treatment”.
The EFCC subsequently declared Oke and Folasade wanted after their failure to respond to a court summons.
The couple was charged with the theft and laundering of huge funds belonging to the Nigerian state. One of the EFCC charges accused Oke and Folasade of stealing $43 million, £28,000 and N23 million, all cash.
The EFCC found the cash in their Lagos apartment during a 2017 raid. Another charge showed a $160 million sum that the couple were accused of diverting from the Nigerian federal government for their own use.
In the same 2017, Oke was suspended as director general of the NIA after Yemi Osinbajo, who was Vice President of Nigeria at the time, headed a committee that investigated the incident and recommended to President Buhari that he be removed.
