The newly appointed Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nigeria, Ambassador Adamu Ibrahim Lamuwa, has assumed office in Abuja, the nation’s capital amid cheers and pleasantries from the Management and staff of the Ministry.
Ambassador Lamuwa, who is the immediate past Head of Mission of Nigeria in Dakar, Senegal, in an interview with journalists shortly after resuming office and touring the offices led by all the Directors and staff of the Ministry in Abuja, said that he would constitute a Crisis Management Committee, Policy Planning Committee and Senior Management Committee that will formulate and implement President Bola Tinubu’s Government foreign policy before the new Minister is appointed.
He noted that the warm welcome he received proves that there is unity in the Ministry, adding that he will ensure that there is collective decision making process.
The new Permanent Secretary maintained that before the new Minister is appointed, he would also ensure that the negative perceptions, by Nigerians of the Ministry, are changed.
According to Ambassador Lamuwa, the ministry under his watch will evolve in line with the foreign policy objectives as outlined in the constitution and determined by the new administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Ambassador Lamuwa resolved the ministry’s determination, willingness and readiness to assist in formulating, articulating and implementing the foreign policy of President Bola Tinubu’s Government.
“My warmed welcome to the ministry signifies that we are family, and in Foreign Service is the family. I am coming back home, 30 years is not 30 days. All of us at level 17 today started from level 8 as officers of the Ministry before we reached level 17. Some of us are ambassadors outside the country, some came for the swearing in of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all the non career ambassadors that joined us today shows that unity is the purpose of this our engagement and we are going to have collective decision making process, we are going to restore Policy Planning Committee, the Senior Management Committee and the Crisis Management Committee that would formulates and implement government policies in the interest of our nation.
“As you rightly said, this is a new era, new government. Before the new Minister is appointed, the ministry is going to be run by us. What you will expect to see is a departure of the norm where people complain about the foreign affairs ministry. We are going to change things in such a way the ministry will be better in pursuant of our foreign policy objectives as outlined in the constitution and determined by the new administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“Already, we have our swearing in, the new government had laid down rules from the speech of Mr. President, we know the direction we are going. We are in the ministry, we are here determined, willing, and ready to assist in formulating, articulating and implementing the foreign policy of President Bola Tinubu” he said.
Background
Ambassador Lamuwa was the immediate past Head of Mission of Nigeria in Dakar, Senegal.
After a meritorious career and outing in Senegal, the President Macky Sall decorated him with the highest Senegalese national honour, Commander of the Order of the Lion.
Ambassador Lamuwa is the third recipient of this prestigious Senegalese honour after President Muhammadu Buhari and the present Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero.
Born in 1967, Ambassador Adamu Ibrahim Lamuwa hails from Funakaye Local Government Area of Gombe State, Nigeria.
He obtained his Primary School Certificate from Magaba Primary School in 1981. He also attended Government Secondary School, Nafada, Gombe State, where he obtained WASC/WAEC Certificate in 1986. Ambassador Lamuwa bagged B. Sc. (Hons) Economics from the University of Maiduguri, Borno State in 1991. He also obtained a Master’s Degree in Economic Policy and Management from the United Nations Institute for African Economic Development and Planning (UN-IDEP), Dakar, Senegal in 2009.
The tested Diplomat joined the Nigerian Foreign Service in January 1993. As a mandatory pre-requisite for being a full-fledged officer, Ambassador Lamuwa attended the Nigerian Foreign Service Academy, Lagos for professional Course on Diplomacy from 1993-1994.
He also attended the Indian Foreign Service Institute, New Delhi, India in 1998. As a Foreign Service Officer, Ambassador Lamuwa has served in various departments of the Ministry at its Headquarters in Abuja, including Trade and Investment Division, Training and Staff Welfare Division, African Affairs Division, Planning, Research and Statistics Department and Second United Nations Division (SUND).
Similarly, Ambassador Adamu Lamuwa has served in a number of Nigerian Missions abroad, including the Consulate General of Nigeria, Hong Kong (October 1998-September 2000), Nigerian High Commission, Ottawa, Canada (February 2003-March 2007) and Consulate General of Nigeria, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (October 2010 – July, 2014).
He has also served in various capacities at the State House, Presidential Villa, including Special Assistant to the Principal Secretary to Mr. President from October 2009-September, 2010. He was also a Deputy Director, State House Protocol from August 2014-May 2016. From June 2016 to May 2021, Ambassador Lamuwa served as the Charge d’ Affaires (et) at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Damascus, Syria. From there, he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Senegal with concurrent accreditation to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
Ambassador Lamuwa is married with children.
