The federal government has started the process of screening potential replacements for all ambassadors, eighteen months after President Bola Tinubu dismissed them all. An official announcement is anticipated “very soon.”
Sources with knowledge of the situation told Reuters that the selection process is under progress and that intelligence officers are checking the backgrounds of possible nominees.
Relevant presidential and legislative agencies are receiving the information that has been collected.
Six months into his term, President Tinubu called back all ambassadors, career and non-career, in September 2023.
He has since appointed chargés d’affaires and consuls-general, but no new ambassadors have been named.
Foreign diplomats stationed in Nigeria have continued to send letters of credence to the president despite the lack of new appointments.
Foreign authorities and diplomatic stakeholders are concerned about the leadership void in Nigeria’s overseas missions as a result of the protracted delay.
Yusuf Tuggar, the minister of foreign affairs, had blamed budgetary limitations for the postponement of ambassadorial appointments.
According to a government official who spoke to Reuters, “the appointment will be announced very soon” and the funding issue “is being resolved.”
According to an intelligence officer, Nigeria’s security agencies have begun investigating the backgrounds of shortlisted applicants and sharing the results with important government offices.
A presidential spokesperson who was asked for response referred questions to the foreign affairs ministry, which did not reply.
Since they lacked the authority to speak about the issue, the sources asked to remain anonymous.
According to a former Nigerian ambassador who has worked in both Africa and the US, Tinubu’s emphasis on economic reform has overshadowed foreign policy objectives ever since his administration took office in May 2023.
In the 2025 budget, the federal government has set up ₦302.4 billion ($198.30 million) for its overseas missions.
Concerns regarding the lack of Nigerian ambassadors in their various nations have come up during talks between Tinubu and several international leaders, the former diplomat claimed.
The former ambassador said, “They have been assured that they will be appointed shortly.”
