Amidst the current violence and rising conflict in the Middle East, President Bola Tinubu appointed Nigerian ambassadors to Iran and Israel.
The presidency on Friday disclosed the posting of Salau Mohammed to Iran and Nkechi Ufochukwu to Israel. They were posted alongside 63 others posted to other countries. All the nominees were confirmed last December by the Senate.
Their appointment as ambassadors comes only days after Israel backed by the US, launched an unprovoked airstrike against Iran, which triggered a significant retaliation from the latter, leading to violent crisis in the Middle East.
Previous reports have revealed that at least 1,230 Iranians have been killed in the war. Unlike the 12-day war, which occurred in June 2025, the US and Israel’s missiles are not solely focused on the capital city, Tehran, but have also targeted other major cities.
Meanwhile, President Tinubu’s deployment of the ambassadors comes three years into his administration.
In September 2023, he called back the former ambassadors—41 non-career and 42 professional diplomats—without giving a reason and leaving Nigeria without formal high-level representation in several countries.
The president did not announce new ambassadorial nominees until December 2025, when faced with intense antagonism from the US over allegations of Christian genocide.
It still however still unclear whether the current conflict would prevent the recently chosen ambassadors to Iran and Israel from leaving for their home nations anytime soon.
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