The approval was announced in a statement issued on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
“The President has approved the posting of four ambassador-designates out of the 68 confirmed by the Senate last December,” Onanuga said
Kayode Are
1. Early Life & Education
Born in 1955.
Graduated with First Class Honours in Psychology from the University of Ibadan in 1980, earning top academic awards (University Senate Prize, Faculty of Social Sciences Prize, Department of Psychology Prize)
2. Education
Obtained a Master’s Degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos in 1987.
Trained at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) as part of the Regular Course 12; commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in December 1974 and ranked among the top cadets.
3. Military Career
Served in the Nigerian Army from 1974 to 1993, primarily in the Directorate of Military Intelligence.
Rose to the rank of Colonel.
Was compulsorily retired by the regime of General Sani Abacha in 1993.
4. Security Leadership Roles
Director General — State Security Service (SSS)
Appointed Director-General of Nigeria’s domestic intelligence agency, the State Security Service (SSS), in May 1999 by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Served in that role through both Obasanjo’s and President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s administrations until August 2007, making him one of the longest-serving heads of the agency.
National Security Adviser (Acting)
In April 2010, appointed Deputy National Security Adviser by President Goodluck Jonathan (newly created position).
Briefly served as Acting National Security Adviser from 18 September to 4 October 2010 after the resignation of his predecessor.
5. Later Developments
In 2015, his Lagos residence was controversially involved in a dispute with the SSS after his tenure, attracting media attention.
In 2025, he was nominated as a non-career Ambassador-Designate by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with the nomination sent to the Nigerian Senate for confirmation.
6. Legacy
Colonel Kayode Are’s career spans key phases of modern Nigerian security history — from military intelligence to leadership of the nation’s domestic security apparatus and brief stewardship of national security policy at the highest level. His academic excellence and long public service have marked him as a respected figure in Nigeria’s intelligence and security community.
