By Atoyebi Nike
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is preparing to conclude the appointment of ambassadors to Nigeria’s foreign missions after months of delays that left the country without formal envoys abroad. It was reported that the President ordered a final review of the nominee list before its public release.
One top official said the process was already nearing completion. According to him, the list required updating because several nominees screened by the Senate months ago had either died, retired, or taken up new roles, leaving them ineligible. “The Senate screened the nominees long ago. The list has since been returned to the President, but a cleanup is necessary to ensure only those still qualified remain,” he explained.
Another official confirmed that security vetting had been completed earlier in the year, but changes became unavoidable as some nominees opted out due to ill health or insufficient service years left. He added that revising the list “could be concluded within a week.”
The development follows Tinubu’s September 2023 directive recalling all ambassadors from Nigeria’s 109 foreign missions as part of a major diplomatic overhaul. Since then, most embassies and high commissions have been run by chargés d’affaires, who lack full authority for high-level diplomatic engagement.
A senior Foreign Service source noted that many countries respond more strongly to ambassadors than temporary heads of mission, especially during sensitive negotiations. “Given the diplomatic demands Nigeria currently faces, appointing ambassadors is crucial,” he said.
The urgency comes amid heightened tensions with the United States after former President Donald Trump accused the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christians and threatened military action. While Presidency officials dismissed suggestions that the absence of ambassadors directly triggered the crisis, they admitted that fully accredited envoys could have eased communication.
Sources also revealed that Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar is expected to meet the President today at the State House, with expectations that the ambassadorial list will be discussed.
Earlier in April, the Federal Government had already completed vetting, but the appointments stalled due to financial constraints, with over $1 billion needed to clear arrears, renovate missions, and replace aging diplomatic vehicles.
Tinubu had previously acknowledged the difficulty of balancing political and career service interests. “It’s not easy stitching those names,” he said during a meeting with members of The Buhari Organisation in early September.
Officials say the final list will be released once the President gives his approval.
