Akande Wahab Adekola is a career diplomat who was recently appointed as as a career ambassador to Switzerland by President Bola Tinubu.
His career reflects a long-term involvement in Nigerian administration, moving from technical linguistic roles to senior diplomatic leadership.
Read also: Full list of 65 ambassadors and countries they are posted to by President Tinubu
Prior to being appointed as the ambassador to Switzerland, he served as Nigeria’s 6th Consul General in Frankfurt, Germany.
Adekola was born on September 5, 1967 in Lagos, and spent over three decades in the Nigerian Foreign Service, holding positions in several international missions and within the Nigerian Presidency.
His secondary education was completed at Ede Muslim Grammar School in 1986, after which he attended the University of Ibadan, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in French.
Read also:Meet Mohammed Idris Haidara, newly-appointed career ambassador to The Netherlands
Following his graduation, he completed his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) primary assignment at the University of Jos, working briefly as a graduate assistant at the same university before joining the Federal Civil Service in 1993.
Service to the Presidency
A significant portion of Adekola’s career was his work at the State House in Abuja. Between 2007 and 2011, he served as a French language interpreter and protocol officer for three Nigerian presidents, namely Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and Goodluck Jonathan.
After a diplomatic posting to Brussels, he returned to the State House to continue his role under the Jonathan administration. Later, during the administration of Muhammadu Buhari, he served for six years as the Presidential Liaison Officer (PLO) in the Office of the Vice President.
Read also:Poor state of Nigeria’s consulate hampers ambassadors-designate deployment
Diplomatic postings
Since joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Adekola served in various Nigerian diplomatic missions, including the one in Lomé, Togo, Yaoundé, Cameroon and Brussels, Belgium.
In December 2020, he was appointed Ambassador-in-situ. Shortly after, on 11 January 2021, he was named the Consul General to the Consulate General of Nigeria in Frankfurt.
During his time as the Consulate General , Adekola oversaw consular operations and diplomatic engagements. During his tenure, the consulate focused on improving administrative processes for Nigerian citizens. He also organised the first Nigerian cultural carnival hosted by the consulate, an initiative aimed at using cultural exchange to manage international relations.
Ngozi Ekugo
Ngozi Ekugo is a Senior Correspondent at BusinessDay. She holds a Masters in management from the University of Lagos, an undergraduate from University of Lagos, and is in an alumni of Queen’s College. Shes currently an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM). She has a brief experience at Goldman sachs, London in its Human Capital Management division. She is interested in human capital development and is leveraging her varied experience across sectors to report labour and global mobility trends for stakeholders to make informed decisions.
