Former INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu assumes post as Qatar ambassador
Former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, arrived in Doha on Wednesday to assume duties as Nigeria’s ambassador to Qatar.
Yakubu was received at the airport by Ibrahim Fakhro, director of the protocol department at the Qatari ministry of foreign affairs, alongside 13 African ambassadors, according to a statement issued by the ministry of information and national orientation on Thursday.
Philip Mshelbila, secretary general of the gas exporting countries forum, and Michael Ihekwaba, president of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation in Qatar, were among the welcome party.
Yakubu concluded his role as INEC chairman last October. He was the first national electoral umpire chairman to serve two terms.
In November, he was among 32 ambassadorial appointees whose names President Bola Tinubu forwarded to the senate for confirmation.
On March 6, Yakubu was designated as Nigeria’s non-career ambassador to Qatar.
A non-career ambassador is a political appointee selected by a president or head of state to represent their country abroad, rather than a professional diplomat who has risen through the foreign service ranks. The position is often a reward for loyalty or strategic political alignment, though sometimes the appointees are chosen for their experience, capacity, and sagacity, per The Cable report.
As Nigeria’s top representative in Qatar, Yakubu will be expected to play a significant role in driving bilateral relations between both countries and building structured pathways for channelling diaspora remittances into domestic investments.
Analysts say the key diplomatic goal would be to leverage Qatar’s expertise as a top LNG exporter and Nigeria’s vast natural gas reserves to advance mutual energy initiatives.
Nigeria and Qatar formally established diplomatic relations in 2010, with both countries opening embassies in Abuja and Doha in 2013.
Late former President Muhammadu Buhari visited Qatar in 2016, while Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatari emir, visited Nigeria in 2019.
Tinubu paid a visit to the country in 2024, with several agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoU) signed during his stay, further deepening the political and economic ties between both nations.
