The emissary schematics: Applying the SID principle to Nigeria’s 2026 diplomatic journey

In the high-stakes theatre of global sovereignty, there are no accidental successes.

As I have often articulated—from the plenary halls of NACCIMA to that of LCCI and fields of SAIS, and lastly the ‘Africa House’ curated and patented by Kojo Annan, and of course the”Nigeria House” platforms at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland —the trajectory of a nation is determined by the caliber of its gatekeepers.

After a prolonged hiatus that left our foreign missions in a state of “strategic hibernation and in which we were no longer at ease, apologies to Chinua Achebe”, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has finally moved the needle and become a ‘Man of the people’, apologies to Achebe again.

He has decided to set forth at dawn, apologies to Wole Soyinka, three wise men to assume duties at the court of James, as well as Washington and Paris, the city of love.

The announcement of the ambassadorial postings to the United Kingdom, United States, and France is not merely a fulfillment of administrative duty; it is a manifestation of what I call the SID Principle: a framework where every move must be Strategic, Intentional, and Deliberate.

To understand the significance of these appointments, one must first look at the men behind the titles. These are not political “place-holders“; they are heavyweights chosen for a specific season of global friction and to achieve an “entente cordiale’

A cursory look at the profiles of the envoys will provide context and background to their appointments, in my view.

• Colonel Lateef Are (rtd)–United States: A top-tier graduate of the Nigerian Defence Academy (Regular Course 12), Are is an intellectual powerhouse with a First-Class Honours degree in Psychology from the University of Ibadan and a Master’s in International Law and Diplomacy from Unilag. As a former Director-General of the State Security Service (DSS), he brings a “Security-First” mindset to Washington at a time when Nigeria-US relations require deep intelligence synchronization.
• Ambassador Ayodele Oke– France: A seasoned veteran of the “silent world,” Oke is the former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA). His appointment to Paris is the ultimate “intel-diplomatic” play. He possesses the rare combination of deep-tissue regional intelligence and the linguistic dexterity required to navigate the Élysée Palace.
• Ambassador Amin Dalhatu– United Kingdom: A distinguished career diplomat and former Ambassador to South Korea, Dalhatu is a master of trade stabilization. His experience in the “Tiger Economies” of Asia is now being pivoted toward the “Old World” of London to manage the post-Brexit complexities of Nigeria-UK trade.

1. Strategic Intelligence at the Potomac: Calibrating the US-Nigeria Security Nexus

The deployment of Colonel Lateef Are to the United States is a strategic realignment of our primary security partnership. In 2026, the global threat landscape has evolved; we are no longer just fighting localized insurgencies but navigating a complex web of trans-border cyber-warfare and maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea.

By sending a former DSS chief—a man whose contemporaries include the likes of Sambo Dasuki and Owoye Azazi—Tinubu is ensuring that Nigeria speaks the “language of the Pentagon.”

Are’s presence in D.C. allows for a peer-to-peer engagement with the CIA and the State Department that transcends traditional diplomatic niceties. His First-Class academic grounding in psychology and international law gives him the “Strategic” edge to dissect the nuances of US foreign policy toward Africa, ensuring that Nigeria’s “Renewed Hope” security architecture is not just seen as a domestic policy but as a vital component of global stability.

This is diplomacy with a “hard-power” backbone, ensuring that our requests for military technology and intelligence sharing are backed by the credibility of a man who has run Nigeria’s internal security apparatus.

2. Intentional Multilingualism in Paris: Bridging the Sahelian Divide

The appointment of Ambassador Ayodele Oke to France is perhaps the most Intentional move in this diplomatic cycle. We must be brutally honest: West Africa is currently facing a sovereign diplomatic breakdown. The “divorce” of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)—Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso—from the ECOWAS family has created a vacuum of influence that threatens regional stability. Nigeria, as the regional hegemon, cannot afford to be an observer while our neighbors pivot toward alternative global powers.

France remains the “silent pivot” in the Sahel. By posting Oke—a man who understands the regional intelligence architecture—to Paris, President Tinubu is intentionally building a bridge to reconcile the Francophone-Anglophone friction. However, the true “Intentionality” here is the Authority of Language. Diplomacy in France is a linguistic art form; to speak to the French government through an interpreter is to lose 30 percent of your influence in the nuance.

Oke’s appointment is defined by the necessity of Bilingualism. He is there to engage the French government directly on the “Sahel Crisis,” ensuring that France’s security withdrawals do not lead to a total collapse of the buffer zones surrounding Nigeria’s northern borders.

In the light of the breakdown in Niamey and Bamako, Oke is our “Sahelian Emissary” in Paris, using the French language as a tool of bilateral communication to de-escalate tensions and restore Nigeria’s influence over the AES corridor. This is a deliberate attempt to use “Soft Power” and “Linguistic Authority” to solve a “Hard Power” crisis.

3. Deliberate Economic Sovereignty in London: The Aero-Politics of Air Peace and Gatwick

Finally, the posting of Ambassador Amin Dalhatu to the United Kingdom is a deliberate move toward reclaiming our economic dignity. The UK is our historical anchor, but in 2026, the relationship must move beyond “colonial sentiment” into “Commercial Diplomacy.” Nowhere is this more evident than in the “Blue Skies” war of aviation.

The successful launch and expansion of Air Peace routes—from Lagos to London Gatwick and now the Abuja-Gatwick/Heathrow corridors—is a symbol of Nigerian resilience. The UK mission is now tasked with protecting this “Aviation Sovereignty.”

For too long, foreign carriers have dominated the Nigeria-UK corridor, often engaging in “Aero-Politics” to stifle local competition. Dalhatu’s role is to be the “Shield of Gatwick.” His appointment is a deliberate signal that the Nigerian government will no longer tolerate the mistreatment of its flag carriers.

When Air Peace faces “slot-politics” or predatory pricing in London, it is Dalhatu who must walk into the Foreign Office and demand reciprocity under the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA).

This is “Deliberate” diplomacy because it links diaspora engagement with trade volume. By ensuring that Nigerians can fly their own airline into primary UK hubs like Gatwick and Heathrow at competitive prices, the embassy is directly impacting the “Disposable Income” of the Nigerian diaspora.

Dalhatu’s experience in South Korea—a nation that built its global brand on corporate giants—will be vital in helping Nigerian brands like Air Peace navigate the “Protectionist” undercurrents of the UK market. This is the SID Principle in action: choosing a trade-specialist to protect a trade-route.

The Final Verdict: From Presence to Performance 

The potential impact of these three appointments is immense. By moving from a period of diplomatic absence to one of Strategic, Intentional, and Deliberate presence, President Tinubu has laid the groundwork for a four-year cycle of unprecedented international engagement. We are moving away from the era of “representational” ambassadors to “performing emissaries imbued with the savior Faire to deliver like a stealth.

We have a “Security Architect” in the US, an “Intelligence Emissary” in France, and a “Trade Stabiliser” in the UK. The message to the global community is uniform: Nigeria is no longer just a participant in global affairs; we are the standard-bearer representing the black race.

These viewpoints are my own, but in God I trust every other thing is data. The 1.5 million barrels of oil occasioned by the increased number of oil rigs from about 4 to 61 and the Air Peace flights over London, and the shifting sands of the Sahel—all point to a single conclusion: The gatekeepers have arrived,’ lets welcome them…Grazie’..Merci…Danke Schon’ Gracias et Parabens to them all.

• Ade Adefeko, ex-officio of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Nigeria’s foremost commercial diplomat and Honorary Consul of Botswana in Lagos (2020-2025), writes from London.