Ex-INEC Chair Yakubu Assumes Office As Nigeria’s Ambassador To Qatar

Nigeria’s newly appointed Ambassador to Qatar, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has officially assumed duty in Doha, marking the beginning of his diplomatic assignment following a distinguished career in academia, public service and electoral administration.

Yakubu arrived in the Qatari capital on Wednesday and was accorded a warm reception by senior officials of the Qatari government, members of the African diplomatic community and representatives of the Nigerian diaspora.

He was received at Hamad International Airport by the Director of the Protocol Department at Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ibrahim Abdullah Fakhro, alongside a delegation of 13 African ambassadors resident in Doha.

Also present to welcome the former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman were the Secretary-General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), Dr Philip Mshelbila, and the President of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) in Qatar,  Michael Ihekwaba.

The introduction of the African diplomatic delegation was led by the Ambassador of Guinea and President of the Bureau of the African Group of Ambassadors to Qatar, Ambassador Thierno Sow.

The delegation included ambassadors and heads of mission from Guinea, Algeria, Burundi, Morocco, Tanzania, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal, Togo, Benin and the Central African Republic.

Yakubu also had brief interactions with several diplomats, including the Ambassadors of Mali, Dedeou Sidibe; Senegal, Cheikh Tidiane Sall; and Tanzania, Habibu Mohammed, before meeting with the staff of the Nigerian Embassy in Doha.

His appointment ushers in a new chapter in a public service career spanning decades. Before his deployment to Qatar by President Bola Tinubu, Yakubu served two terms as INEC Chairman, from November 2015 to October 2025.

During his decade-long tenure, he oversaw the conduct of Nigeria’s 2019 and 2023 general elections, as well as several off-cycle governorship elections across the country.

Prior to leading the electoral commission, Yakubu served as Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), a position he assumed in 2007 under the administration of late President Umaru Yar’Adua. While at TETFund, he championed infrastructure development and academic support initiatives to strengthen higher education institutions nationwide.

As Nigeria’s ambassador to Qatar, Yakubu is expected to leverage his extensive experience in governance and public administration to deepen bilateral relations between the two countries, with particular emphasis on energy cooperation, trade, investment, and engagement with the Nigerian diaspora.