Keeping to its commitment of upholding merit in the appointment of persons to key positions, the Muhammadu Buhari administration had again recorded another feat with the appointment of Dr Uzoma Emenike as Nigeria’s first female Ambassador to the United States.
Until her recent appointment, Emenike, who hails from UmukabiaOhuhu in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia, was Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland and Iceland.
Over the course of her career, Emenike’s drive for excellence shines through. During that time, she was rated among the best performing ambassadors. This was a major reason why the president submitted her name for reappointment last year, even though some others who were appointed at the same time with her were dropped.
With her recent appointment by the president as Nigeria’s Ambassador to the US, she now takes over from the late 83-year-old Justice Nsofor. Being the first female to be in that position has set a new standard, with analysts noting that her appointment has changed the landscape for Nigerian female diplomats. She is among 52 non-career and 43 career ambassadors whose deployment was recently approved by the president. This comes six months after the National Assembly’s confirmation of the list of ambassadors-designate submitted by the President.
Having joined the Nigeria Foreign Service about 30 years ago, Emenike served in Protocol Department and Africa Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From there, she was posted to the Nigerian Embassy in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire in 1992, where she served for six years. On her return to Nigeria, she was deployed to other departments of the Ministry and served meritoriously.