Former INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, has arrived in Doha, Qatar, to officially assume his new role as Nigeria’s Ambassador to the State of Qatar.
Mahmood Yakubu was warmly received on arrival by Qatari government officials alongside members of the African diplomatic corps in the country.
At Hamad International Airport, he was welcomed by Ambassador Ibrahim Abdullah Fakhro, Director of Protocol at Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A group of 13 African ambassadors based in Doha also attended the reception to receive the Nigerian envoy.
Notable figures present included the Secretary-General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, Dr. Philip Mshelbila, and the President of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation in Qatar, Michael Ihekwaba.
The African diplomatic delegation was introduced by Ambassador Thierno Sow of Guinea, who also serves as President of the African Group of Ambassadors in Qatar.
The delegation comprised ambassadors and heads of mission from several African countries, including Guinea, Algeria, Burundi, Morocco, Tanzania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal, Togo, Benin, and the Central African Republic.
Yakubu later exchanged brief greetings with several diplomats, including the ambassadors of Mali, Senegal, and Tanzania.
After the airport reception, he proceeded to meet with officials and staff of the Nigerian Embassy in Doha as he begins his diplomatic assignment.
