New Permanent Observer for Organization of Islamic Cooperation Presents Letter of Appointment

(Based on information provided by the Protocol and Liaison Service)

The new Permanent Observer for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hameed Ajibaiye Opeloyeru, presented his letter of appointment to UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Opeloyeru held several positions at OIC, including Deputy Director-General at the Secretariat for Food Security from 2019 to 2020 and Assistant Secretary-General from 2009 to 2019, as well as Supervisor, Legal Affairs Department from 2017 to 2018.

From 2007 to 2009, he was Ambassador and Head of Mission at the Embassy of Nigeria to Lebanon with concurrent accreditation to Syria.  He also served as Minister and Head of Chancery at the Nigeria High Commission in London from 2003 to 2007.  Between 1998 and 2003, he was Minister-Counsellor and Deputy Director (West Africa/North and Horn of Africa), African Affairs Division, in Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He served as Minister-Counsellor and Head of Chancery in his country’s embassy in Saudi Arabia between 1992 and 1998, Counsellor (Discipline/Central Africa) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1989 to 1992 and Counsellor and Head of Chancery in the Embassy in Libya from 1986 to 1989.

Between 1983 and 1985, he was Senior First Secretary (Welfare and Education/Legal) and Third Secretary (Language Bureau) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1979.  From 1979 to 1983, he was Third Secretary and First Secretary (Political/Administration) at the Nigerian Embassy in Iraq.

Born in 1954, Mr. Opeloyeru earned his Bachelor of Arts at the Al-Azhar University in Egypt and a master’s in international law and diplomacy from the University of Lagos in Nigeria.