Months after recalling all Nigerian ambassadors abroad, President Bola Tinubu is preparing to finalise the appointment of envoys to the country’s foreign missions.
Multiple Presidency officials said the delay has left most missions headed by chargés d’affaires with limited authority, affecting Nigeria’s diplomatic engagements worldwide.
“It is going to be concluded very soon,” one senior official told PUNCH.
“They are just cleaning it up now because since the time the President sent it to the Senate, some people on that list have died, and some have retired and are no longer eligible for appointment. Some of them have less than one year left in service,” the official explained.
He added that the Senate had already screened the nominees, noting that the cleanup was to ensure that no one due for retirement remained on the list. “The list of those screened has left the Senate long ago; it has been returned to the President,” the source said.
Another source confirmed that security and background clearances were completed months ago, but revisions became necessary after several nominees passed away, took new appointments, or opted out due to ill health.
“The earlier list sent to the Senate is outdated. Some of the nominees have died, while others are no longer qualified,” the official said.
“The cleanup will ensure that the final list reflects those still available and eligible. The process can be completed in a week; it doesn’t take long to reverify new names.”
The appointments come more than two years after Tinubu’s September 2023 decision to recall all ambassadors from Nigeria’s 109 foreign missions, comprising 76 embassies, 22 high commissions, and 11 consulates, as part of a “comprehensive diplomatic review.”
“The truth is that most foreign governments do not give the same regard to chargés d’affaires as they do to ambassadors,” a senior Foreign Service source said. “At a time like this, with many diplomatic demands, it is crucial that ambassadors be appointed.”
The urgency is heightened by diplomatic tension following former U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments threatening military action over alleged killings of Christians.
Trump said, “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to wipe out the Islamic terrorists committing these atrocities.”
“That’s not to say the lack of ambassadors caused the recent issues with the United States, but their presence could have made communication smoother,” another Presidency official noted.
The official added that foreign partners prefer to engage at the ambassadorial level, “especially in moments of crisis or negotiation.”
Sources also revealed that Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar is scheduled to meet Tinubu on Tuesday afternoon at the State House, likely to discuss finalising the ambassadorial list.
“When the President is ready to make that appointment, it will be made public. The Presidency will release an official statement very soon,” another official said.
