President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed three career ambassadors from Delta, Benue and Yobe states.
TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Senate President Bukola Saraki made this known during plenary on Tuesday.
The Senate President read a letter from Buhari on the appointment of the three career ambassadors.
Buhari had appointed UK Deputy High Commissioner, Ambassador Kabiru Bala as new Nigerian envoy to South Africa with concurrent accreditation to Swaziland and Lesotho.
Ambassador Bala, who assumed office in the UK two years ago, received his letter of credence confirming his new appointment on Monday in Abuja.
Sarah Sanda, the official spokeswoman for foreign affairs minister Geoffrey Onyeama, said that the new appointment will take immediate effect.
A career diplomat, Ambassador Bala joined the Nigerian Foreign Service in 1999 and had at different times served in Brazil, Sudan, Gambia, the Netherlands and Thailand.
He also served in the State House office of the chief of staff to the president, as well as state house protocol.
Expected to fly out to South Africa immediately, Ambassador Bala will replace Ahmed Ibeto who resigned his appointment in July to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Prior to his appointment, Alhaji Ibeto had been the Deputy Governor of Niger State.