Ambassador to US, Are, meets Trump, presents credentials
The Nigerian Ambassador to the United States, Kayode Are, has presented his Letter of Credence to U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.
Ambassador-designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, confirmed the development in a post on his social media handle on Sunday.
He wrote, “Hearty congratulations to my friend, His Excellency, Colonel Kayode Are (Rtd), Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States of America, who has presented his Letters of Credence to President Donald Trump, after his posting to the USA by His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, on Thursday, January 22, 2026.”
The ceremony took place on Thursday, May 21, at the White House, alongside similar presentations by ambassadors from 11 other countries.
According to the White House, the event featured an honour guard mounted by the armed forces, as well as officers of the U.S. State Department and staff of the National Security Council.
The ambassadors who also presented their credentials include representatives of South Africa, Chad, Chile, Yemen, Australia and Kyrgyzstan.
Tinubu approved Are’s posting following his confirmation by the Nigerian Senate in December 2025.
Are, a retired Nigerian Army Colonel and former Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), now the Department of State Services (DSS), has a long career in military intelligence and national security administration.
Born in 1955, he began his military training at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) as part of Regular Combatant Course 12, graduating among the top 10 cadets and being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in December 1974.
Academically, he graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Psychology from the University of Ibadan in 1980, where he emerged as the best graduating student and received multiple academic prizes, including the University Senate Prize. He later obtained a Master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos in 1987.
He served in the Directorate of Military Intelligence, rising to the rank of Colonel before his compulsory retirement from the Nigerian Army in 1993.
Following Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999, Are was appointed Director-General of the State Security Service, a position he held until August 2007, making him the longest-serving DG in the agency’s history. He served under former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
He also served as Deputy National Security Adviser, contributing to national security coordination and intelligence management at senior levels of government.
