Nigerian Ambassador to the US, Kayode Are, has presented his Letter of Credence to US President Donald Trump.
The ceremony was held on Thursday, May 21, at the White House.
There was also an honour guard by the armed forces and officers of the State Department and the staff of the National Security Council.
Eleven other ambassadors presented their Letters to the US President.
They include ambassadors of South Africa, Chad, Chile, Yemen, Australia, and Kyrgyzstan.
President Bola Tinubu had, in January 2026, approved the posting of Are after his nomination was confirmed by the Senate last December.
Military, Academic Background
Born in 1955, Kayode Are is a retired Nigerian Army Colonel, intelligence officer, and former Director General of the State Security Service (SSS), now known as the Department of State Services (DSS).
Widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most experienced security operatives, he built a distinguished career spanning more than three decades in military intelligence and national security administration.
He began his military journey at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), where he was a member of Regular Combatant Course 12.
The ambassador graduated among the top 10 cadets and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army in December 1974.
Academically, he distinguished himself early in life.
In 1980, he earned a First Class Honours degree in Psychology from the University of Ibadan, graduating as the institution’s best student and winning the University Senate Prize, Faculty of Social Sciences Prize, and Department of Psychology Prize.
He later obtained a Master’s Degree in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos in 1987.
During his military career, Are served as an intelligence officer in the Directorate of Military Intelligence and rose to the rank of colonel before his compulsory retirement from the Nigerian Army in 1993.
Following Nigeria’s return to democratic rule, he was appointed Director General of the State Security Service in May 1999.
He served in that position until August 2007, making him the longest-serving DG in the history of the agency.
During his tenure, he worked under the administrations of former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
Are also served as Deputy National Security Adviser to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, contributing significantly to national security coordination and intelligence management at the highest levels of government.
A respected intelligence and security expert, Kayode Are is recognised for his extensive experience in military and civilian intelligence operations, with over 33 years of combined service in Nigeria’s security architecture
