President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is reportedly finalising the long-awaited appointment of ambassadors to Nigeria’s foreign missions, following months of growing concern over the country’s lack of representation abroad and widening diplomatic gaps.
Presidency sources familiar with the process confirmed that the president has ordered a “final cleanup” of the list of nominees ahead of its release.
“It’s going to be concluded very soon,” a senior official disclosed, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly.
According to the source, the cleanup became necessary because some of the nominees initially screened by the Senate have either died, retired, or become ineligible due to age or new appointments.
“They are just updating the list because since it was first sent to the Senate, a few people have passed away, while others have less than a year left in service,” the source said. “The idea is to make sure only eligible and available candidates are included in the final version.”
It was further gathered that the Senate had completed screening the nominees months ago, and the list was returned to the president for ratification.
Another presidency source confirmed that security vetting and background checks had also been concluded earlier, but the exercise was being revisited to accommodate necessary replacements.
“The earlier list is now outdated,” the official noted. “Some of the nominees are no longer qualified, so the president directed a quick revision. The process should be completed within a week.”
The move comes more than two years after Tinubu ordered the recall of all Nigerian ambassadors from the country’s 109 foreign missions - including 76 embassies, 22 high commissions, and 11 consulates - in September 2023, as part of what was described as a “comprehensive diplomatic review.”
Since then, most of Nigeria’s missions have been managed by chargés d’affaires or senior consular officers with limited powers to engage in high-level diplomatic negotiations or represent the president formally.
“The truth is that foreign governments do not accord chargés d’affaires the same diplomatic weight as ambassadors,” a senior Foreign Service officer told TAT News. “At a time like this, with multiple international challenges, it’s critical that Nigeria restores full ambassadorial representation.”
The renewed urgency to complete the ambassadorial appointments also comes amid escalating diplomatic tension between Nigeria and the United States, following recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened military action over alleged killings of Christians in the country.
Observers believe that filling key diplomatic posts could help strengthen Nigeria’s global engagement and repair strained relationships with major partners.
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