Tinubu Moves To Calm Tensions With Trump, Nominates Ex-NIA DG As Ambassador To The U.S.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has taken decisive diplomatic steps to ease rising tensions between Nigeria and the United States by nominating a new set of non-career ambassadors to Washington, London, and Paris. The announcement was made by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga and comes at a moment of strained relations between the two countries.

The move followed a sharp escalation in rhetoric from the U.S. government under President Donald Trump, who recently placed Nigeria on the list of Countries of Particular Concern. The designation, tied to allegations of religious persecution, triggered a wave of international scrutiny. Matters intensified further after Trump openly criticized President Tinubu’s handling of insecurity and went as far as threatening to deploy U.S. troops to combat terrorists in Nigeria if what he described as the “persecution of Christians” was not urgently addressed.

In what many analysts view as a strategic diplomatic recalibration, President Tinubu unveiled three nominees to represent Nigeria in key Western capitals. Ambassador Ayodele Oke has been tapped to serve as Nigeria’s envoy to the United States, Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are has been nominated for the United Kingdom, and Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu has been put forward as the next ambassador to France.

All three nominations are expected to undergo screening and confirmation by the Nigerian Senate.

Ambassador Amin Dalhatu, a seasoned diplomat, previously represented Nigeria in South Korea under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. His diplomatic career gained prominence after his appointment in 2016, during which he strengthened Nigeria’s ties with the East Asian nation.

Ambassador Ayodele Oke, a respected alumnus of Emory University in Atlanta, brings decades of intelligence and foreign-policy experience to the table. A former Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Oke also represented Nigeria at the Secretariat of the Commonwealth of Nations in London—a role that earned him a reputation for strategic diplomacy and quiet negotiation.

Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are, the nominee for the United Kingdom, is one of Nigeria’s most seasoned security chiefs. He served as Director General of the State Security Service (SSS) from 1999 to 2007, a pivotal era in Nigeria’s democratic consolidation. In 2010, he was appointed National Security Adviser, and earlier in his career he held key positions within the Directorate of Military Intelligence.

Political observers see the trio as a blend of security expertise and diplomatic experience—qualities that may prove crucial as President Tinubu attempts to prevent a deeper rift with the Trump administration. Their appointments, if confirmed, are expected to shape Nigeria’s engagement with major global powers during a period of heightened international sensitivity.