Senator Sunday Steve Karimi representing Kogi West Senatorial Zone and Chairman, Senate Committee on Services, is popping champagne — politically — after President Bola Tinubu tapped Ambassador Audu-Rafiu Olusola Enikanolaiye as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
The Kogi West lawmaker called the pick proof that Tinubu “inhales and exhales competence” when choosing his team. And he should know: Enikanolaiye isn’t just from Karimi’s backyard in Yagba East, he’s what the senator calls “one of Nigeria’s most grounded diplomats of all time.”
At 66, Enikanolaiye’s CV reads like a passport with no blank pages. He joined the Foreign Service in 1982 under President Shagari, hit the top as substantive Ambassador in 2013 under Jonathan, became Permanent Secretary under Buhari, and got pulled out of retirement by Tinubu as SSA on Foreign Affairs. Now he’s ministerial.
Karimi, who chairs the Senate Committee on Services, says the nomination shows Tinubu’s “career preference for competence and cognate experience” — a streak he says has defined the President’s governance style for decades.
“I can only express the collective appreciation of our people across the seven local government areas,” Karimi said, noting that Enikanolaiye “inhales and exhales diplomatic practice” after a career spanning four decades.
The praise didn’t stop there. Karimi dubbed him a “human encyclopedia” and placed him in the pantheon of Kogi West diplomats like Ambassadors Olayinka Simonyan, John Sinkaiye, Edward Aina, and others who flew Nigeria’s flag abroad.
Enikanolaiye’s academic chops match his field work: First Class in Political Science from ABU Zaria in 1981, Distinction in International Law and Diplomacy from UNILAG, and another Distinction in Diplomatic Studies from Oxford — all in 1991. His tours include Ethiopia, Serbia, Canada, the UK, India, plus stints at the Foreign Ministry HQ and the State House.
Married with four children, the minister-designate now swaps advisory for ministerial firepower.
For Karimi, it’s simple: “Mr President’s choice on this occasion is consistent.” For Kogi West, it’s a win served on a diplomatic platter.
Karimi’s commendations were contained in a statement issued by Toye Ibitoye, his Senior Legislative Aide.
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