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By Josfyn Uba
Nigerian women have broken the glass ceiling to achieve feats like their male counterparts in every sphere of endeavour, they are also poised to bridge the divide for an equitable world.
Their resolve to break free from complacency and embolden and empower women by tackling male chauvinism and other implicit and unconscious gender biases head-on can also be seen in their actions and deeds of recent.
When President Muhammadu Buhari assigned portfolios to 52 non-career and 43 career ambassadors and they were screened by the Senate, 12 were women, with three career ambassadors and heads of missions, bringing the total number of women to 15.
Daily Sun turns the spotlight on some of the female diplomats:
Dr. Uzoma Emenike
Dr. Uzoma Emenike is Nigeria’s first female ambassador to the United States. She is a non-career ambassador who, until her appointment, was Nigeria’s last envoy to Ireland. Emenike joined the Nigerian Foreign Service over 30 years ago, serving in the Protocol and the Africa departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Subsequently, she was posted to the Nigerian Embassy in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, in 1992, where she served for six years.
Upon her return to Nigeria, she was deployed to other departments of the ministry, during which she represented Nigeria in numerous bilateral and multilateral missions at home and abroad. In 2002, Emenike left the Foreign Service for the private sector where, among others, she worked as a management consultant.
Emenike parades an intimidating profile. She holds two bachelor’s degrees in Sociology/Anthropology and Law from the University of Maiduguri and the University of Reading, United Kingdom, respectively; two master’s degrees in International Law and Diplomacy and International Management, from the University of Lagos and the University of Reading, respectively; and a doctorate in International Relations from the University of Reading. A published author, she is expected to address the perennial problems plaguing the Nigerian mission in the US, from passport administration to wobbly bilateral relations.
Modupe Irele
Another ambassador is Modupe Irele, Nigeria’s former ambassador to France, now posted to Hungary. At the time she was posted to France, she was the first woman to hold the role since the diplomatic mission appointed its first representative in 1966. She began her career in banking, spending 15 years as a retail banker, before venturing into education consulting. She runs her own educational consulting practice in Nigeria and served in the Faculty of Department of Learning and Performance Systems at the Penn State University.
Eniola Ajayi
Eniola Ajayi was former envoy to Hungary but has been posted to the Netherlands. An optometrist/ocular pathologist by profession, she graduated from the University of Benin in 1986, before bagging a Master of Philosophy in Ocular Pathology in 1994 from the University of London and Doctor of Optometry from the University of Benin, in 2002. She served as the commissioner for education, science and technology between 2010 and 2013 and as the commissioner for environment between 2013 and 2015 in her home state, Ekiti.
She is also concurrently accredited to the Republic of Croatia, Republic of Serbia and to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
All these areas are in the forefront of her activity as an ambassador; she is striving to bring Nigeria and the countries she is accredited to as close to each other as possible by developing cooperation in the countries and more. The main priorities of her journey into the world of diplomacy are citizen’s diplomacy, economic diplomacy and social diplomacy, these areas constitute the focus of her philosophy of Three I’s: inclusion, investment and image-building.
Monique Ekpong
Monique Ekpong, from Cross River State, was appointed envoy to Angola, while Hajara Salim from Gombe State is Nigeria’s envoy to Malaysia. Retired as a director at the National Assembly, she was a career civil servant and politician before her appointment.
Obiezu Ijeoma
Imo State-born Obiezu Ijeoma Chinyerem took over from Dr. Emenike at the embassy in Dublin, taking charge of Nigeria’s diplomatic relations with Ireland.
Sadiya Nuhu
Sadiya Nuhu would take over in Romania as her counterpart from Kwara State, Zara Umar, would resume as envoy in Malawi. Umar was former head of service in Kwara before her appointment and was the first woman to hold that position in the state.
Opunimi Akinkugbe
Opunimi Akinkugbe would resume as envoy in Greece despite all odds, even though criticism and resistance have plagued her appointment. Akinkugbe spent over two decades in the banking and finance world before leaving to focus on consulting. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and an MBA from the Lagos Business School.
Maureen Tamuno
Dame Maureen Piribonemi Tamuno, a lead consultant and doctor of philosophy in Strategic Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, was appointed ambassador to Jamaica. She was a member of her state’s sixth House as well as a board member of the Nigerian Railway Corporation. She replaced Oji Ngofa as Rivers State’s non-career ambassador who had been the Nigeria’s ambassador to the Netherlands since 2016.
Tamuno hails from Agbabiri, Okirika Local Government Area, Rivers State. She was the 2015 House of Representative candidate for the Okrika/Ogu Bolo Federal Constituency, Rivers State (APC), chairman of the decoration sub-committee of the 2015 presidential inauguration. She was once executive chairman of Ogu/Bolo LGA and the treasurer of ALCON, Rivers State chapter, from 2011 to 2014. She attended Kaduna State Polytechnic, Kaduna, and obtained her National Diploma (ND) in Production Management. She obtained her first degree in Management Studies at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi State, a postgraduate diploma in Management and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing.
Folakemi Akinyele
Folakemi Akinyele was appointed as envoy to Philippines.
Deborah Nana Iliya
Deborah Nana Iliya, from Kaduna State, is envoy to Congo. She holds a certificate in Administration and Government Procedures and a diploma in Business Administration and a BSc in Sociology. Starting her career as a primary school teacher, she worked as sales staff with the Nigerian Modern Bookshop, before working with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives. After retirement, she ventured into business and became chairman and chief executive officer of Global Needs Nigeria Limited. She is also the chairman of the governing council of the Center for Policy Study and Resource Development. Former national adviser on disciplinary matters, Nigeria Army Officers’ Wives Association,, she was also national vice-president and national provost of the Defence and Police Officers’ Wives’ Association and former divisional president of NAOWA at the 81 Division, Nigerian Army. She was also one-time president-general of the Nigerian Army Christian Women Fellowship (Protestants) and associate member and patron, Nigerian Red Cross Society, before her appointment.
Ingekem Regina Ocheni
Leading the career ambassadors is Ingekem Regina Ocheni, deputy ambassador to Germany. Ocheni’s appointment was not without some controversy as some sections were agitating for her to be replaced. The Kogi State-born diplomat, however, emerged unscathed and is serving as Germany’s deputy ambassador.
L.S. Ahmed-Remawa is serving as Deputy Ambassador to Cameroun while W.A. Adedeji is a career diplomat to Gabon.
