Nigeria joined 10 other countries elected to the 35-member Board, placing Ajimobi at the centre of global nuclear policy deliberations.
Nigeria’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to Austria and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Dr Fatima Florence Ajimobi, has been appointed Governor representing Nigeria on the IAEA Board of Governors for the 2026 to 2028 term, following the country’s election to the influential body.
Nigeria was elected to the Board during the 70th Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference, held in Vienna, Austria, from 14 to 18 September. The country was among 11 nations elected to the 35-member Board, alongside Angola, Brazil, Greece, Honduras, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Slovakia and Sweden.
Ajimobi disclosed the appointment via a post on her social media handle on Saturday, 19 September.
What the role involves
The appointment places Ajimobi at the centre of Nigeria’s engagement with one of the IAEA’s principal policy-making organs, where she will participate in deliberations on the Agency’s programmes, nuclear safety and security, safeguards, peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology, and international cooperation.
As Governor for Nigeria, she will represent and advance the country’s positions at Board meetings while contributing to discussions on the Agency’s broader policy direction and activities.
The Board of Governors oversees major aspects of the IAEA’s work, including its operations, safeguards arrangements and key policy decisions concerning the safe, secure and peaceful use of atomic science and technology, positioning Nigeria within one of the Agency’s most consequential decision-making bodies for the next two years.
Who is Florence Ajimobi?
Ajimobi is the widow of the late Abiola Ajimobi, who served as Governor of Oyo State from 2011 to 2019 under the All Progressives Congress.
She was nominated as a non-career ambassador by President Bola Tinubu in November 2025, and her posting to Austria was approved in March 2026 alongside 64 other ambassadors-designate and high commissioners.
She arrived in Vienna in July 2026 to formally assume her duties as Nigeria’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Austria and Permanent Representative to the IAEA and other international organisations headquartered in the city, including the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
See Photos of her in Vienna:
What the appointment means for Nigeria
Nigeria’s election to the Board and Ajimobi’s subsequent appointment strengthen the country’s longstanding relationship with the IAEA and its commitment to the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology for sustainable development.
The development is also expected to give Nigeria an enhanced platform to deepen international cooperation in areas where nuclear technology can support national development, including healthcare, agriculture, food security, water-resource management and human capacity development, reflecting how nuclear science is increasingly being applied beyond energy generation.
Nigeria’s Permanent Mission in Vienna has identified the peaceful application of nuclear science as a key area of engagement, and the Nigerian Embassy in Austria has highlighted Ajimobi’s diplomatic responsibilities in advancing the country’s participation in global nuclear governance during her tenure on the Board.
