By FORTUNE ABANG

The newly-appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for considering her worthy of the position.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who assumed office on Nov. 4, 2024 as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by Dr Magnus Eze, her Special Assistant on Communication and New Media.

The minister revealed she was at the dinner organised by the Ministry to conclude a three-day induction course for the Ambassadors and High Commissioners-Designate, as well as their spouses, when the news broke.

The dinner turned out to be her first official function as the substantive minister in the Ministry

Odumegwu-Ojukwu during her address thanked Tinubu for finding her worthy of the position.

She urged the ambassadors and High Commissioner designates, staffers and Management of the ministry to join hands with her in giving Nigeria good international image, while also protecting national interests.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in a post in her X handle (former twitter), the minister said: “Yesterday, April 29, I was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by President Bola Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“I am truly honoured to step into this new position, and wish to express my most profound appreciation to our Nation’s President. Your Excellency, I am truly humbled by your trust and confidence in my abilities.

“I look forward to contributing more to the continued success of the 4D Foreign Policy Priorities of the Renewed Hope Agenda, our citizen diplomacy imperatives.

“I reaffirm my unwavering commitment towards advancing our national interests in the global arena,” she said.

Odumegwu-Ojukwu was appointed following the resignation of Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, who stepped down to participate in the 2027 elections.

In the same vein, the President has nominated Amb. Sola Enikanolaiye as the new Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. This is subject to confirmation by the Senate.

Enikanolaiye, who hails from Kogi State, until his nomination, served as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and International Relations. (NAN)

Update news