Former Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has arrived in Doha to formally assume his duties as Nigeria’s Ambassador to the State of Qatar.
Yakubu, whose tenure as Nigeria’s chief electoral officer ended late last year, was appointed ambassador by President Bola Tinubu as part of a recent round of diplomatic postings.
Upon his arrival on Wednesday, he was received by Ambassador Ibrahim Yousif Abdullah Fakhro, Director of the Protocol Department at Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In a demonstration of strong diplomatic and diaspora support, the reception party included 13 African ambassadors accredited to Qatar, Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), Dr. Philip Mshelbila, and President of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Qatar, Michael Ndukaihe Ihekwaba.
Yakubu’s transition from electoral administration to diplomacy marks a significant shift in his public service career, placing him at the centre of Nigeria’s engagement with one of the Gulf region’s most influential economic and political partners.
