President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed career diplomat Ibrahim Adeola Mopelola as Nigeria’s new ambassador to the Benin Republic, as part of a wider diplomatic posting involving dozens of envoys to countries across the world.
The appointment was announced in a statement issued on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who confirmed the deployment of 65 ambassadors, comprising 31 career diplomats and 34 non-career ambassadors, to various countries and international missions.
According to the statement, Mopelola will represent Nigeria in Cotonou, the economic capital of Benin Republic, where Nigeria maintains strong diplomatic and economic relations with its West African neighbour.
The appointment is part of the Federal Government’s effort to strengthen Nigeria’s diplomatic engagement globally and deepen bilateral cooperation with strategic partners.
Nigeria and Benin Republic share longstanding ties in trade, border cooperation, culture and regional security. Both countries are also members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), where they collaborate on economic integration and regional stability initiatives.
In the same announcement, the presidency disclosed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has begun seeking agrément—formal diplomatic approval—from host countries for the ambassadors-designate, in line with international diplomatic procedures.
President Tinubu has also directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to commence induction and orientation programmes for the envoys ahead of their deployment.
The ambassadorial appointments follow the confirmation of the nominees by the Nigerian Senate in December 2025.
With Mopelola’s posting to Benin Republic, diplomatic observers say the move is expected to further strengthen cross-border cooperation, trade relations and regional diplomacy between the two neighbouring countries.
