Nomination of Lannon Walker To Be United States Ambassador to Nigeria

The President today announced his intention to nominate Lannon Walker to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He would succeed Princeton Nathan Lyman.

Mr. Walker is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor. He entered the Department of State in 1961 and attended Western Arabic Language School in 1962. From 1962 to 1964, he served as political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Rabat, Morocco. In 1964 he became principal officer at the American consulate in Constantine, Algeria. He returned to the Department of State in 1966 as a staff officer in the Executive Secretariat, and then became Deputy Director. In 1969 Mr. Walker took economic training at the Foreign Service Institute. From 1970 to 1971, he was economic counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, Libya. He then became deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon, 1971 - 1973; and served as administrative counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Saigon, Vietnam, 1973 - 1974. In 1974 he went to the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa, Zaire; first as economic counselor and then deputy chief of mission, where he served until 1977. He returned to the Department of State as Office Director for Central Africa and later became Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs, 1977 - 1982. He took a leave of absence from the Department of State, 1982 - 1983, and then became the president of Joint Services Group in Washington, DC. He returned to the Department of State in 1983 as Senior Adviser in the Bureau of African Affairs; and from 1984 to 1985, he was the Acting Inspector General. In 1985 Mr. Walker was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Senegal, where he served until 1988. Since 1988 he has been a diplomat-in-residence at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Mr. Walker received his B.S.F.S. in 1961 from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. He was born January 17, 1936, in Los Angeles, CA. Mr. Walker is married, has two daughters, and resides in Maryland.